Love and War
by InuyashaPuppyDog
Summary: Sequel to Who's That Girl. A new warlord takes over and our heroes are plunged into the depths of war. Sesshoumaru must defend the West from a hostile takeover while Kaede's village is forced into battle. Kagome is confused;he's not in the history books.
1. A New Warlord

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter One

A New Warlord

Springtime. A beautiful blue, cloudless sky. Bright sunshine. An eerie air devoid of most sounds ... except for the buzzing of flies around a field of rotting, decaying corpses. The gentle clip-clop of a horse's hooves could be heard entering the battlefield slowly. A royally appointed arabian and his rider examined the carnage that lay before them. In the distance, the galloping thunder of a herd of horses broke the silence,

"My lord!", called the man leading the horses and the soldiers riding them.

The man on the magnificent stallion turned towards the approaching army,

"Ahhh. General Ashikawa. I am glad to see you in one piece.", the man spoke to the leader. His language was native but, his accent was not.

"Lord Nishimura, the castle has been captured.", the general announced.

"He is dead?", Nishimura asked.

"Yes, m'lord. You can now take your place as the new daimyo of this region.", answered the general.

"Very well. You and your men will be well compensated for your assistance.", Nishimura informed them.

Nishimura turned the stallion around and steered him away from the battlefield and on towards the castle. His army followed close behind. The band of horses entered the castle town and proceeded to the beautiful castle in the middle. Townspeople stared at the sight of the new warlord as murmurs rumbled through the throng. Nishimura stopped at the castle gates. Lead samurai opened the gates for him to enter. He just sat there and stared,

'_Ahhh. Takeda castle. It is mine_.', he thought proudly.

He was about to urge his horse onward when a flurry of activity erupted inside the castle. Moans and cries could be heard as a group of samurai were forced outside,

"My Lord!", said a guard, "These samurai refuse to give you allegiance."

Nishimura stared the samurai down, "You are Takeda's men?", he questioned.

"Yes.", answered one of the samurai, "And we will never bow to you. Takeda was a good man and he didn't deserve what you did to him!"

"I see.", Nishimura said. He turned to the guard, "Kill them.", he ordered.

The guard bowed, "Yes. We will allow them seppuku.", said the guard.

Nishimura raised his eyebrow, "Ritual suicide? For traitors? Absolutely not. They shall die a traitor's death. Burn them. Alive."

The samurais faces registered fear and confusion. The guard looked at his lord in disbelief, "My lord?", he queried.

"You have a problem with my order? I ordered you to burn them at the stake ... alive. In the center of town for all to see. Now, carry out my order or you will join them."

The guard looked nervously at the general and swallowed hard. The punishment was not one that Japanese warlords used and it bothered him greatly. Realizing that he had no choice, he regained his composure and ordered his men,

"You heard the lord. Let's go."

Nishimura smiled evilly as the samurais were led away. General Ashikawa studied the lord and thought,

'_He is not one to be messed with. He will not hesitate to kill whatever and whoever is in his way_.'

--

Nishimura took his place, sitting on an ornate pillow in the main chamber of the castle. He looked around at the paintings and katanas that decorated the walls. His appearance was not Japanese. He was much taller, standing nearly 6 ft, and his face was clean-shaven. His dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. His manner of dress was similar to that of mainland China.

A guard entered the chambers. With him were a woman and a young girl, dressed in brightly colored kimonos,

"My lord. I bring you the wife and daughter of Takeda."

Nishimura stood up, "Ahhh. Such lovely maids.", he said, with a lecherous voice.

Coming nearer to the older woman, he realized she was with child,

"I do not need a pregnant whore here.", his voice was filled with disgust, "Especially if she's pregnant with the child of my adversary!", he pushed the woman towards the guard, "Take her away. Make sure she suffers the same fate as the traitorous samurais."

The woman pleaded for her life,

"No, wait my lord. Please, reconsider ... my child ... please ..."

Nishimura wasted no time. With lightning speed and deadly accuracy, he shoved his sword through the woman's belly,

"Is no longer a concern.", he spoke, as he removed the blood covered blade and the woman collapsed into a heap on the floor, screaming in pain, "Take her away!", he ordered.

The young girl quivered in fear, silent tears flowing down her cheeks as she watched what had occurred to her mother. Nishimura came over to her and gently lifted her chin with his fingers,

"Ahhh, my lady. What is your name?"

The young girl mumbled, "Ai."

He smiled, "That means 'love', am I correct?"

She nodded feebly. Her body shook with fear,

"How old are you?"

Taking a deep breath, she replied, "I just turned 13."

"You will do fine in my bed.", he told her.

"But, my lord, I am slated to marry soon."

"Fine. He can have you when I am finished with you.", his smiled chilled her to the bone. He summoned a guard, "Take Lady Ai up to my bed chambers. I will join her shortly.", he dismissed the guard with a wave of his hand. He returned to his spot on the pillow,

"Ahhh. This will do nicely.", he said to empty air.

--

"SHINTA! SIT DOWN!"

**SLAM!**

"**KA-GO-ME**!"

Kagome looked at her husband, "OOOPSS!", she said with a smile.

Inuyasha stood up and brushed the dirt off his face, "Dammit all! I wish you would take this fucking necklace off of me!"

Kagome smiled coyly, "No can do."

"Why not? Why do you need to control me ... still ... after all this time?", he demanded.

"Just keeping ya honest.", her attention diverted, "SHINTA! STOP CLIMBING UP THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE! KAI ... STOP EMULATING YOUR BROTHER! GET BACK HERE! KAI! SHINTA! WILL YOU TWO JUST SIT ..."

**SLAM!**

Kagome cringed, "whoops ... sorry."

"If you refuse to take this goddamn necklace off of me then at least change the fucking trigger word, wench!", Inuyasha seethed.

A little female voice began chanting, "fucking fucking fucking fucking fucking fucking ..."

Now it was Kagome's turn to seethe,

"INUYASHA! SIT BOY!"

**SLAM**!

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR, WENCH?"

"Watch your language, Inuyasha. Your daughter is in the parroting stage. Didn't you hear her repeating your words?"

Inuyasha huffed, "Fine. If you don't want me around, I'll see what Miroku is up to."

"Please do, Inuyasha.", Kagome said, getting back to her work weeding the herb garden.

Inuyasha started to walk away. He stopped and turned back to look at his hut and family. It had been six years since Kagome had been granted her god-like powers and changed into a half-demon. Although she looked human in every way, her senses were highly acute. Her powers ranged from spiritual to demonic to the divine. While she could call on her demonic or spiritual powers at any time, the divine powers could only be used with the permission of the gods.

He watched his sons play around the tree by the hut. Shinta looked identical to Inuyasha. He had long flowing, silvery-white hair, two white, fluffy dog ears on the top of his head and golden-amber eyes. There was no way to tell that he wasn't Inuyasha's biological child. He remembered when they found the baby underneath his dead mother, an inu-demoness from a low ranking clan. The child's father was obviously human. He and Kagome adopted him and named him after the baby wolf demon they had saved from Naraku. Now 7 years old, Shinta was coming into his own demonic powers, learning and experimenting with each new discovery.

Kai was now 6 years old and extremely precocious. He also had long, silvery-white hair but, his ears were black. His eyes were an interesting combination of violet and gold that turned a deep brown on his human nights. Kai was the child Inuyasha never expected to have ... he and Kagome had tried for a child with no success. Kagome finally conceived on the night that the demon bats attacked the village. Inuyasha transformed when she became injured and, after defeating the bats, ferried Kagome away. His battle lust satieted, his demon lust needed attending too. When it was discovered she was unexpectedly pregnant, every one came to the same conclusion. For Inuyasha's semen to be fertile he had to be a transformed demon.

He and Kagome tested this theory out when Kai was 2. Kagome wanted to try for another child. As luck would have it, the night that Inuyasha smelled would be Kagome's optimum night to conceive, a blue demon went on a rampage in a nearby village. By this time, Inuyasha was becoming more adept at allowing his demon blood to takeover his body without losing his mind. Destroying the demon satisfied his demonic thirst for blood and he returned to the village hungry for sex. Kagome conceived their daughter, Izayoi, that night. Now 3 years old, the little girl was the spitting image of her mama, with long, jet black hair and chocolate brown eyes. Proof that she was Inuyasha's was evident by the small, black furry triangles that adorned her head and the claws and fangs she sported.

His eyes fell on Kagome again. She had changed over the past six years. Although she looked no older than 16, her body had matured greatly. Her muscular, tomboyish frame had been transformed into a raving beauty. Her hips were full and her legs had taken on a more shapely tone. Her waist remained small, but larger than it had been when she traveled in search of Naraku and the jewel. Her breasts, always larger than an average Japanese girl's, had become rounder and fuller after Kai's birth. Her hair had grown longer and she had to tie it up to keep from sitting on it. He smiled as his eyes fell back to her stomach. Kagome was pregnant with their fourth child ... due in late summer. He looked at their modest hut. Yup, he would have to enlarge a bit to house their growing brood.

His concentration was disrupted by his friend's voice,

"HELLO, MY GOOD MAN!", Miroku called out.

Inuyasha turned to see who Miroku was talking to. He sighed. A man driving a horse drawn wagon entered the village. A woman and three youngsters sat inside the wagon that was filled with their personal belongings,

"Can I help you, sir?", Miroku asked as he walked up to the wagon.

"You are the village spiritual man?", asked the wagon driver.

"Yes, you could say that. I share my duties with a couple of Shinto priestesses. What can we do for you?"

"Do you have room in your village for my family. It has been an exhausting journey and I am looking for a peaceful village away from any wars to settle my family down."

"Of course, my good man. My name is Miroku and I welcome you to our humble village."

"Ahhh. Thank you. My name is Takahiro."

Miroku turned and saw Inuyasha watching the exchange, "Inuyasha. Some assistance please."

Inuyasha sighed again before walking over to his friend. The village had also changed in the last 6 years. With Kagome's powers and Miroku's management, the village had become a bit wealthier. The crops boomed forcing the villagers to build silos for the excess rice and grain. What they didn't need for the village was sold at market for a hefty price Looking to cash in, more people began coming to get land in the village. Never one for crowds, this made Inuyasha a little uncomfortable.

The man eyed Inuyasha,

"You allow demons to reside here in this village, monk?", he asked, is voice nervous.

"We have a couple, yes.", Miroku answered, "Inuyasha isn't an ordinary demon. He protects this village and others around it from demons who would do us harm. I assure you, he is perfectly harmless. Inuyasha, could you assist this man's family over to the hut where they can relax?"

"Yea. Yea. Whatever.", Inuyasha grumbled.

Miroku ignored Inuyasha's complaint, "My wife runs a small tea house. She'll be glad to offer you some tea and you can relax for a while.", he said to the man's family.

Inuyasha and Miroku assisted the woman and three children, two boys and a girl, from the wagon,

"Follow me.", Inuyasha instructed.

As Inuyasha led the family to Sango's tea hut, Miroku directed the man to a place he could park his wagon. Inuyasha parted the reed door,

"Yo. Sango. Ya got guests.", he called to the back of the hut.

A small child of about eight walked out from the back,

"Hi. I'm Suki. My mama will be out real soon. She's changing my brother's diaper.", she informed the guests.

"Ok, kid. They're in your hands now.", Inuyasha stated as he walked out the door.

Suki smiled, "Bye, Uncle Inuyasha."

A young woman emerged from the back, carrying an infant in a carrier on her back,

"Suki,", she spoke to the girl, "Help Cho bring the tea and dumplings up."

"Certainly, mama."

The little girl skipped to the back of the hut as the woman introduced herself,

"Hello, my name is Sango. I assume you've met my husband, Miroku and also Inuyasha?", she queried.

The woman nodded, "Yes. My name is Hisa. This is my oldest son, Taro, he's 12. My second son, Jiro, he's 9. And my daughter, Hoshi, she's 6.", she introduced herself and her children.

Two girls brought out trays with cups, a teapot and skewers of dumplings and began to pass them out. Sango started,

"This is my oldest daughter, Suki. She's 8. Her sister, Cho, is 7. My oldest son, Mikito, is 6. There's also my 5 year old son, Reiji, my 3 year old daughter, Tae, and this guy,", she said, pointing to the child on her back, "His name is Junji. He's a year old.", she concluded.

"My, you have your hands full, don't you?", said the woman.

Sango laughed, "Yes, I suppose I do."

A young maid walked in with some boxes,

"Oh, Rin. Thank you so much for bringing those boxes in.", Sango acknowledged the girl.

"Certainly, Lady Sango. Is there anything else you wish me to do?"

"No. Not right now. Kohaku was looking for you earlier. I think he said he'd be down by the god tree. Oh, Rin, this is Hisa and her children Taro, Jiro and Hoshi.",Sango introduced the people.

Rin bowed politely, "Are you moving in?", she asked.

"We hope to, yes, child.", Hisa answered her.

Rin smiled a small smile "Ok. Well, I'm off.", she waved to Sango and walked out the door.

Rin saw Inuyasha a short distance from the tea hut,

"Master Inuyasha?"

He turned, "Yea, Rin?"

"Have you seen Kohaku?"

"I think he's down near goshinboku. You look unhappy. What's up with you?"

"I'm just tired of all these people moving in. I liked the village better when it was smaller ... not that I like villages that much. I miss traveling with Lord Sesshoumaru."

"You must hate villages if traveling with Sesshoumaru and Jaken sounds better."

Inuyasha felt a FLOP! on his head,

"Hey, Rin. Kohaku's looking for you. He said to tell you he's at the waterfall."

"Thanks Shippou!", Rin said as she ran off.

Inuyasha grabbed the kitsune's tail and took him off his head, "Don't you have a girlfriend to bother, runt?"

"Geez. Looks like somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. What's your problem?"

Inuyasha looked at Shippou, "Nothin', runt.", he lied, while thinking, '_Rin, I know how you feel_.'

--

Miroku walked beside Takahiro on their way to the tea hut,

"I hear this village has a very powerful priestess.", the man spoke.

"Yes. Lady Kagome is extremely powerful. We are grateful that she is here."

"That is good.", the man agreed, then changed the subject, "On my way through the plains, I overheard that the local daimyo was overthrown in a vicious coup."

"What?", Miroku questioned, '_Takeda was taken down_?', he thought, fearfully.

--

_A/N: Hello and welcome to the sequel to "Who's That Girl". Just so we are all on the page I am on ... my complete and 100 inspiration for Lord Nishimura was actor Jason Isaacs and his character, Colonel William Tavington, in Mel Gibson's "The Patriot", with a smidgen of his character, Lucius Malfoy, from the "Harry Potter" franchise thrown in for good measure. Yup. Really evil and creepy. I really love these two character's of Isaacs' ... they both make my skin crawl. And that's what I wanted in my character, Nishimura. Chapter two will be up shortly. See ya soon!_


	2. Kagome's Past

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Two

Kagome's Past

Rin skipped happily down towards the waterfall. Waiting for her at the riverbank, Kohaku sat staring into space. Now 18, he was a handsome young warrior, fully adept at various demon slaying skills. He heard Rin's happy whistle behind him and stood up. As she approached, he turned around, a huge bouquet of tiger lilies in his hand and a big smile on his face,

"Kohaku,", she cooed, "They're beautiful.", she said, as she took them from him and buried her nose in their petals,

"Not as beautiful as you.", he replied back, a slight blush on his cheeks.

Rin had grown up to become a beauty. She was tall, slender and shapely, her long black hair framing her deep set brown eyes. At 16, she had alot of village boys drooling, but, her heart belonged to Kohaku.

The couple sat down on the riverbank, Kohaku's arm around Rin's shoulders and her head on his shoulder. The moment was perfect and Kohaku couldn't resist,

"Rin. Would you do the honor of becoming my wife?"

Rin's breath caught in her throat. She turned around and wrapped her arms around her beloved's neck,

"Kohaku ... YES! I will ... I would love to be your wife.", she told him, tears falling down her cheeks.

Kohaku pulled her forward and gently brushed her tears of happiness away with his thumb,

"How about this autumn? I love the changing colors of the leaves.", he suggested.

She hugged him again, "That would be ideal! Oh, Kohaku, I am so happy!"

"Me too, Rin. Me too."

--

Miroku walked slowly into his hut. It was almost dinnertime, but, he could smell nothing from the kitchen area,

"Sango?" he called out.

A young boy came out of a room,

"Mama's still over in the tea room, papa.", he said.

"She is?", Miroku queried, "Mikito, are your brothers and sisters there as well?"

"Yup. Why?"

Miroku sighed, "I'm hungry, that's why."

"Oh, mama said we is eating at Auntie 'Gome's tonight.", advised the little boy.

"Oh, we are? I guess that's why there's no food cooking.", he surmised.

"Yup.", said the little boy before running outside.

"Oh, well.", Miroku sighed, "I did want to talk to Inuyasha about Takeda's take down."

Miroku turned to walk outside and nearly walked into his wife at the door,

"Sango!"

"Oh Miroku, ", Sango said, not aware of the near collision, "I hope you don't mind. Kagome invited us for dinner tonight. It seems Inuyasha caught 4 huge turtles and she's making a turtle feast."

"Turtle? Sounds great! We haven't had any turtle since before Naraku was destroyed."

"I know. Inuyasha defeated a demon over on the coast. After he collected his reward, he stopped at the fish market. But, she said, as he was coming home, he saw some sea turtles in the surf. He captured four of them. Kagome said she's making the turtle, scallops, prawns and vegetables."

"Mmmmm ... I'm hungry. When do we eat?"

"We can go over now if you're ready. The kids are already over there playing with Shinta, Kai and Izayoi."

"Good. Let's go. I'm hungry for turtle!", Miroku said, lovingly putting his arm around his wife's waist.

--

Kagome was busy working on her dishes when Miroku and Sango entered,

"Kohaku. Rin. I didn't know you'd be here as well.", Sango said, surprised.

"Yea. The more the merrier.", Kagome chirped up.

Miroku and Sango sat down, watching their children play with Kagome's children,

"Where's Inuyasha?", Miroku asked.

"Out working with Shippou and Kirara. Shippou is practicing new demon attacks.", Kagome informed them.

"He has become quite strong.", Kohaku commented.

Kagome packaged some food up in trays, "Suki, would you do me a huge favor, sweetie?"

"Sure. What is it?", the little girl came over to investigate.

"I promised Lady Kaede some dinner. Can you take this over to her hut?"

"Sure thing.", Suki said, picking up the trays, "I'll be back!", she called.

"Hope so.", her father remarked to the swinging reed door.

"So, Kagome, have you met the new people?", asked Sango.

"New people? We have new villagers?", Kagome asked.

"Yea.", Rin announced sourly, "What else is new."

"I take it you're not happy with all the new people coming into the village, Rin?", Sango asked the girl, concern in her voice.

"I don't blame her.", Inuyasha chimed in as he walked through the door.

"Daddy. Daddy. Daddy. Daddy. Daddy", Izayoi chanted, as she launched herself into Inuyasha's arms,

"OOF! You're getting heavy, kid!", Inuyasha told her when he caught her.

Shippou sniffed the air, "Mmmm ... smells wonderful Kagome.", he complimented her.

Suki returned and the gang sat around and feasted on turtle and fresh seafood. Conversation remained light and non-informative while the children were present. Rin and Kohak had decided to keep their engagement news as a surprise for now, so they kept quiet. After dinner was finished and the plates cleaned, the families headed outside to enjoy the cool evening air. As the children played, Miroku turned to his companions,

"Takahiro informed me that the daimyo, Takeda, was overthrown in a coup.", he told them.

"Takahiro?", Kagome questioned.

"The young man who arrived this afternoon with his family.", advised Sango.

"Someone else looking to cash in on the village's new found prosperity.", Inuyasha groaned.

"You would deny him a chance for a better life, Inuyasha?", queried his Miroku, accusingly.

"It's not that, monk. I just prefer that the village remain small. The more people that come here, the more likely bandits and demons will attack. Lest you forget, I'm the one normally responsible for getting rid of the troublemakers.", Inuyasha told him.

"True enough.", agreed Kohaku.

"We know from Kagome-sama that the village remaining small will not be the case. This is where here family's shrine is after all, right on the outskirts of the city she calls Tokyo.", said Miroku.

"Yes.", agreed Kagome, "The town of Edo forms here within the next hundred years. Anyway, Miroku, you said the warlord was taken down?"

"Yes. That's right. That's what I was told."

"It don't matter none to me.", said Inuyasha, crossing his arms, "As long as they keep their stupid human wars to themselves. I have better things to do than fight a human's battle."

"Kagome? What's wrong?", asked Sango, looking at her friend's concerned look.

"Miroku, the warlord that was defeated ... he was from the Takeda clan?", she asked, worriedly.

"Hmhm.", Miroku said, "Yes, Takeda, why?"

"Because, from what I learned in school, Takeda was never defeated. His clan was part of Oda Nobunaga's unification of Japan.", she told them.

"Pfft, so?", said Inuyasha, "The future isn't written in stone, ya know."

"Inuyasha,", she continued, "It may be YOUR future ... Miroku's and Sango's and Kohaku's and Rin's future ... but ... it's MY past ... my history."

"What are you saying, Kagome?", Inuyasha said, a bit perturbed.

"What I am saying, Inuyasha, is ... if my history has changed with the defeat of Takeda and the rise of a new warlord ... what has happened to the world as I knew it?", Kagome reiterated.

Miroku realized what Kagome was saying, "Your world has probably changed as well, Kagome."

--

Nishimura opened up the door that led to his bedroom. Sitting on a pillow on the floor, was Takeda's teeage daughter, Ai. Bathed and dressed in a beautifu kimono, she was a picture of beauty. And sadness. He walked over to her and pulled her to a standing position and into his arms. He forcibly kissed her. She pushed away,

"No. Please, my lord. Please reconsider.", she begged.

"Absolutely not.", he told her, his voice demanding, "I long for the flesh of young maids and being able to deflower them is even better.", he said with a sneer.

He pushed her down on the futon and tried to remove her clothes. She struggled against him, trying to stop his movements. This earned her a hearty SLAP! on the face,

"Keep still or the next time I will tie you up."

The girl cried, defeated, as Nishimura removed her clothes. She tried to cover herself but this only made the lord angrier. He finally grabbed a couple of his obis and tied the girl's wrists to a hook in the wall above her head. He then took two obis and tied them around her knees, pulling them up to the same hook. She was wide open for his enjoyment. She sobbed uncontrollably,

"No. No. No.", she repeated, over and over.

He removed his clothes and shut her up by forcing her to suck his enlarged member. He held her head, shoving his cock deep in her throat, causing her to gag and nearly vomit many times. He moaned his approval, moving his hips faster and faster, all the while holding her head steady,

"Eat it, bitch. Just like the Asian whore that you are.", he ordered her.

He pulled out suddenly, spraying his seed all over her face as he groaned in relief. She tried to breathe, but the substance was in her nose, her eyes, her mouth. She gagged again. He went around to between her legs and ran his fingers through her hair,

"Ahh, princess, you are nice and wet. You may say no but, your body says yes."

Without warning, he entered her, shoving his member deep inside her, roughly. The young girl screamed in pain as her maidenhood was broken. Nishimura continued to fuck her, slamming every inch of himself deep inside her. Having already cum once, this time was drawn out. He continued his rape, enjoying listening to the young girl cry in displeasure and pain. He pulled out and attacked his next prey. Opening her cheeks, he positioned himself at the entrance to her anus. She screamed loudly in pain as she felt her insides ripped apart by what seemed like a huge log. With no lubricant, he continued his assault, ramming himself into her hole, bloody from the attack. He finally exploded inside her and removed himself, tired and spent. He left the girl tied up as he turned over to sleep.

The next day he untied the girl and called for his senior guard. As the man entered the room, Nishimura told him,

"Here. Take her. I have no use for her now. You and your men can do whatever you want with her. Have your way with her. Hell, even let your dogs and horses have their way with her. After you're through, tie her to a stake, naked, and burn the witch alive. I never want to see her again."

The guard smiled evilly. Before becoming Nishimura's senior guard, he had been a wild bandit. Nishimura's plans for the young child suited him just fine,

"Yes, m'lord. Thank you."

The guard grabbed the naked sobbing girl and threw her over his shoulder as he exited. After enjoying a breakfast feast, Nishimura contacted another guard,

"Go out into the town,", he told the young samurai, "And get me a virgin for tonight. You will do this every night for I only crave virgins."

The samurai, formerly a Takeda guard, was nervous. His family lived in the town ... including his three sisters and fiancee ... all virgins,

"What are you waiting for?", Nishimura asked him.

"My Lord, I want to obey, but ..."

"But, what? You should know I do not accept disloyalty to my orders."

"My Lord, my sisters and fiancee live in this town ... please ... do not hurt them."

"Do they now? How fortunate.", he grinned, evilly, "I give you my word as a gentleman. I will not hurt your sisters or fiancee. Now, bring me what I desire, or I will order your sisters and fiancee to my chambers."

The samurai bowed, "Yes, my lord.", he said, as he hurried off.

Nishimura walked into the main chamber hall. General Asikawa was present,

"You wish to confer with me, General?", Nishimura asked.

"My lord, Takeda had lots of money in his treasury but, I'm afraid we will need more to fight the battles you are thinking of. Moving into the West and trying to take over the Mori clan will take alot of fighting power and money."

"Have you heard from the Hojo or Uesugi clans yet?", Nishimura asked his general.

"Yes, my lord. Neither clan lord is willing to bow to your demands."

"Then we will destroy them as well.", Nishimura turned to leave, "While you are at it, begin taxing the surrounding villages. The more rice and grain they have ... the higher the taxes. Tax them until they bleed, General.", Nishimura left.

"Yes, my lord.", Ashikawa said softly to empty air.


	3. Taxation

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Three

Taxation

The lord's army marched triumphantly into the castle town,

"My lord!", called out a young samurai, "The general has returned."

Nishimura exited a room and closed the door. He seated himself on the ornate pillow in his main chambers as Ashikawa entered with an object in his arms wrapped in red cloth,

"My lord,", Ashikawa bowed, "The head of Hojo Soun.", he said, opening the red cloth to reveal a severed head, "The Hojo clan are defeated."

Nishimura smiled, "Good work, Ashikawa. So the Hojo area is now under my control?"

"Yes, my lord, more or less.", answered the general.

Nishimura stood up and faced down the smaller man, "MORE OR LESS?? WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?"

"It m-m-means, my lord, that a few insurgent demons are still attacking the troops. Hojo was deeply aligned with the Eastern Demons, especially the wolves. We are still searching for the leader of the Eastern Wolf Tribe, Kouga. He has yet to be found. I am certain that once we find and destroy him, the rest fo the demons will fall into line, my lord."

"Demons, you say?", Nishimura appeared lost in thought, "Yes, you people do believe in such fairy tales, don't you?", he mumbled.

"Pardon me, my lord?", Ashikawa queried.

"Never mind.", Nishimura waved his hand, "What about Uesugi?"

"We are still locked in a major struggle with them, m'lord. Uesugi has amassed alot of troops and he will not give up so easily."

"He won't, will he? Hmph! We'll see about that. Wait here, general.", Nishimura disappeared into another room. He returned with a wheelbarrow. In it was a large, round object,

"Can you get close to the castle, general?"

"Y-yes, my lord. Why? What is that thing?"

"It is called a bomb, general. And you will use it on Uesugi castle. It would be best if you could get it inside the castle. You light it and then it detonates. It will destroy most, if not all, of the castle as well as every living thing inside and close by."

"Of course, m'lord. I will put it to good use."

--

"KAGOME!!"

"Sango ... what's up ... you look extremely excited.", said Kagome, reflecting her friend's joy,

"Kohaku and Rin are getting married!", Sango announced, merrily.

"REALLY? When??", asked an equally excited Kagome.

"In the fall. Oh, Kagome, it's so hard to believe my little brother is all grown up and getting married!", Sango gushed.

"Yea, kids do that.", commented Inuyasha on the sly, hauling feed into the barn.

"Ignore him.", Kagome said, "He doesn't know how to be happy for people. Isn't that right, Inuyasha?"

"Whatever you say, koi, you're the boss.", he replied, then added, "I gotta go. I have a demon slaying to handle in the marketplace south of here. Shippou's coming too. He's gonna use some of his new techniques."

"Yea, right, sure.", Kagome agreed, "You just don't want to fix the leaky roof in the barn, is all."

He kissed her cheek, "Way ahead of you, koi.", his eyes twinkled, "See ya at dinner. Bye, Sango.", he disappeared quickly.

Kagome looked at his retreating body in shock, "He FIXED it already? When?", she walked into the barn and looked up. Sure enough, the roof had a couple new panels, "I'll be damned.", she said softly.

"KAGOME!!"

Sango's voice had a sound of urgency to it. Kagome ran outside and saw why. Regally attired horses were entering the village. The leader called out,

"Who is the head of this village?"

Miroku stepped away from his hut. He had watched them approach,

"I am, my good man. Along with Kaede, our elderly priestess.", he kept Kagome's name clear. No need to involve her unless he had too.

"I am Captain Uchida. By the order of the new daimyo, Lord Nishimura, we are instituting a new tax. This tax will cover your protection by the daimyo's forces."

"I beg to differ with you, kind sir,", Miroku interupted, "But, we have never used Takeda's protection. We will not be using the new daimyo's protection either."

The captain urged his horse over to where Miroku stood,

"Perhaps you did not comprehend what I said, being a simple peasant monk. Let me explain it to you slowly so that your feeble mind can understand. There is no choice in the matter. The taxes are mandatory. Do you comprehend now, monk?"

Miroku stood his ground, angry at being talked down too, "I repeat, we refuse the daimyo's offer of protection."

Without warning, the captain lifted his sword and swung. Miroku fell to the ground,

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh.", Miroku moaned.

"MIROKU!", Sango and Kagome called out together, as they both rushed over to him,

"DADDY!", Suki cried out,

"STAY BACK, SUKI!", Sango screamed, "KEEP YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS SAFE."

The captain laughed,

"The tax will be the cost of a bushel of rice and a bushel of vegetables per villager.", he announced.

Kagome stood up,

"That's thievery. There is no way these villagers can afford to pay that kind of ransom."

"If they cannot pay, then we will take what we want in place of it. We will be back tomorrow to collect."

The captain turned his horse around and led his army out of the village. Kagome knelt down,

"Miroku, can you stand?", she asked.

"Y-yea, I think so."

"Come back to my hut, I'll bandage your wound."

--

That night, Inuyasha was told of what happened and he was none too happy,

"That kind of tax will destroy this village.", he said to Kagome, after the children were asleep.

"I know.", answered Kagome, "The thing is, I have never heard of any Nishimura in any of my history lessons. Who is he?"

"I dunno. But, he seems determined to rule with an iron fist. I may have to kill him."

"I wouldn't resort to killing just yet, Inuyasha."

"Oh, Miroku, still alive and kicking, I see.", Inuyasha joked.

"Nice to see you, too, my friend.", Miroku responded.

"So, if you don't want me to kill him, what do you want to do?", Inuyasha asked.

"Let's see if we can talk to him.", said Miroku.

"Always the pacifist.", mumbled Inuyasha.

A faraway explosion disturbed the peaceful night,

"WHAT THE HELL??", yelled Inuyasha, "I haven't heard anything like that since ..."

"The Band of Seven.", finished Miroku.

Villagers began leaving their huts, curious as to the sound,

"Big sister ... what was that explosion?", Kohaku came running up to her.

"I don't know.", said Sango, softly.

"It sounded like a ... bomb.", commented Kagome.

"A bomb?", queried Inuyasha, "What's a bomb? Is it like those fire bombs that Renkotsu had? That's the only kind of bombs I ever heard of. And that explosion sounded to big for fire bombs."

"Sort of.", Kagome answered, "But, these are bigger. More dangerous. And more deadly."

"I wonder what exploded.", Miroku mused.

--

The next afternoon, the army of horses entered the village again. The captain came forward and met with Miroku,

"I see you're still alive, monk."

"HMPH! You don't know who you are dealing with. We have a very experienced healer living here.", Miroku explained.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with that ridiculous shrine at the entrance of your village, would it? Something about a living deity?"

"It might."

Inuyasha stayed back, listening intently to the exchange. He looked back at Kagome,

"I want you to stay in the hut. I don't like the looks of this guy."

"Ok.", she agreed, taking the children with her inside.

"Shippou.", Inuyasha saw the kitsune close by. Shippou hopped on Inuyasha's shoulder,

"Yea, Inuyasha?"

"Protect Kagome and the pups. Protect them with your life. Got it?"

"HmHm. Right.", Shippou entered the hut.

Inuyasha walked into the center of the village where the exchange was taking place,

"You can take your thieves and leave this village and don't bother coming back. I protect this village. You can tell your moronic daimyo I said that.", Inuyasha informed the captain.

"Who the hell are you?", the captain asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Someone you don't want to mess with.", Inuyasha responded, standing in a defensive positon.

"HMPH! As if you could defeat me.", the captain taunted.

"Is that a challenge?", Inuyasha responded.

The captain turned to his men,

"Raid this village. Take whatever you can to pay the tax. I'll deal with this cretin."

The soldiers began to dismount their horses,

"Don't waste your time.", Inuyasha taunted, "It'll be over soon."

The captain sneered,

"You think so, do you?"

He headed his horse towards Inuyasha,

"What? Too afraid to face me on the ground? Are you that chicken in front of your soldiers?", Inuyasha sneered back.

The captain seethed at Inuyasha's imputance,

"You filthy beast. I will teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

The captain dismounted and drew his sword,

"Aren't you gonna draw yours, beast?"

"I don't need it. I don't believe in overkill."

"You talk big, don't you? Time to bring you down to size!"

The captain swung his sword, aiming to slice Inuyasha in half, but, Inuyasha nimbly grabbed the sword in his bare hands and flipped the captain over his head, separating the sword from its wielder. Inuyasha quickly broke the sword in a few pieces and tossed them aside, as the captain watched in disbelief,

"WHY YOU! That was my great-great grandfather's sword! How dare you destroy it!"

The man charged at Inuyasha. The half-demon actually appreciated the man's tenacity,

"One reason I like having a human side ... it's why I don't give up.", he said to no one in particular, "But, in this case, for you, it's USELESS!", he yelled at the human, as his fist made contact with the raging man's head, sending him flying.

The soldiers stared in disbelief at what occured,

"Get your captain and return to the daimyo!", ordered Miroku, "And tell him, we will not pay his taxes."

The men did as they were told and grabbed the unconcious man, laying him across the saddle of his horse, before heading back to the castle,

"I wonder how many other villages they're stealing money from.", Inuyasha wondered as they left.

"We should find out.", agreed Miroku.

--

Nishimura destroyed a vase in the main chambers,

"YOU WERE DEFEATED! YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE A FEARLESS BANDIT WHEN I RECRUITED YOU!"

"My lord, he was very powerful. He broke my sword into many different pieces. He ... he was a demon of some kind ... maybe even a half-demon."

Nishimura was completely enraged,

"YOU FOOL! YOU WERE DEFEATED BY A FUCKING FAIRY TALE!"

"My lord, please, listen ..."

Nishimura unsheathed his sword and sliced. The captain's head rolled on the floor towards the window,

"I will take care of this myself, you imbecile. I will not stand for a mere village to oppose me."

A young samurai walked in, pulling a young girl beside him,

"My lord, your consort for the evening.", he advised.

Nishimura turned and grabbed the young girl by the hair and dragged her screaming into his bed chambers.


	4. Village in Dispair

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Four

Village in Dispair

"Hey, lookee here, boys!", the burly guard called out, "We's gots ourselves another pretty lady to have fun with!"

The samurai and castle guards hollered and yelled their happiness at having yet another girl to do with as they pleased. They were enjoying the new lord's generosity. One young samurai, however, wasn't so happy,

"Tama? Great Kami, Tama, is that you?", the samurai ran up to the naked girl, her face and body swollen, bloody and covered in bruises. He tore off his coat and wrapped it around her,

"Yoshimaru, please, leave me be. Don't look at me.", the young girl tried to turn away,

"Yea, you heard her, Yoshimaru, leave her be. Leave her to us.", one guard called out as the others laughed,

"This is my fiancee, you bastards, you aren't touching her.", Yoshimaru said to them.

The huge, burly guard walked over to him, "The lord says we can. Now, get outta the way before I kill you."

Yoshimaru threw a right hook, hitting the guard in the face. It barely fazed him. The guard responded by punching Yoshimaru repeatedly, knocking him to the floor, where he then proceeded to kick his opponent endlessly. The onlookers laughed at Yoshimaru's plight. The young girl just stared, her tears falling freely,

"Yoshimaru.", she whispered.

The guard finally stopped attacking the young samurai. He walked over and grabbed the young girl and practically dragged her away,

"Let's go fellas.", he said, "Let's see how many of us she can take at one time, shall we?"

The men walked away laughing and cheering. Yoshimaru managed to stand and stagger out of the courtyard and head into the castle.

--

Nishimura was preparing for lunch when the young samurai staggered in,

"You bastard!", he spat out weakly, "You gave me your word, that you would not harm my fiancee or sisters."

"Did I now?", mused the lord, "Hmmm ... I do not recall. But, yes, I did have a wonderful time with a beauty named Tama last night. Very fiesty girl, I must say."

The samurai came over to the lord and started to draw his sword. Before he could, the lord had him around the neck and lifted off of the ground. The man valiantly tried to get free,

"You are trying to rush to your death, are you? Your struggles are in vain ... if I tighten my fist just a bit more,", Nishimura began tightening his hand to prove his point, causing the samurai to gag, "I could easily break your windpipe.", he dropped the samurai to the floor.

Yoshimaru struggled to catch his breath, grabbing his throat with his hands,

"That's too good for you. No, I know a better punishment for you. I will have you hanging by your arms in my bedroom while you watch me deflower your sisters.", he laughed evilly.

"You ... bastard.", Yoshimaru coughed out, "You gave ... me ... your word ... as a gentleman ... dammit."

Nishimura knelt down by the samurai, "Yes, I did.", he told him, "But, one must be a gentleman to give his word as such."

The lord stood up and called a guard,

"Take him to my bed chambers and tie him up. I will tell you what to do with him when I return. And, bring my horse, Khan, around. I ride with the army today."

"Yes, my lord.", the guard bowed.

--

Nishimura was in high spirits as they headed toward the "problem" village,

"You see, captain,", he spoke to the new captain of the army, "Villagers are more reasonable when you kill.", he said, looking at the wagon full of rice, vegetables, and goods.

"Yes, my lord.", agreed the captain heartily, "I understand.", he said, hefting up the huge bag of money.

Nishimura stopped at the entrance to Kaede's village and looked at the shrine,

"A living deity resides here?", he asked, reading the shrine.

"That is what the shrine says, though it makes no mention of whether the deity is male or female.", said the captain.

"Really!", admonished Nishimura, "Fairy tales. Deities are only in imaginations. Let's go and beat these villagers into submission, shall we?"

--

Inuyasha looked up from his work at the approaching horses. Miroku walked up to him,

"Damn! Didn't they learn their lesson?", Inuyasha complained.

"Apparantly not.", said Miroku.

The two men walked towards the horses. Kagome and Sango watched from the tea hut, nervously,

"Suki.", Sango urged, "Take your brothers and sisters to Onigumo's cave. Stay there until we come for you."

"Yes, mama.", Suki said, as she went back into the hut to get her siblings.

Kagome looked down at Shinta, "Shinta, take Kai and Izayoi to the same place. Do not return no matter what. One of us will come get you soon, ok?"

"Kay, mama.", Shinta agreed, heading back into the hut as well,

"Where's Shippou and Kirara?", Kagome asked Sango.

"I don't know.", her friend answered.

Kagome gulped hard. Something wasn't right. Her eyes returned to Inuyasha and Miroku,

"I am Lord Nishimura, the new daimyo of this region. Who is the one who claims to protect this village?"

Inuyasha stepped forward, "You're looking at him."

Nishimura grinned, "And, just, what are you? This isn't Halloween, you know?"

Kagome's eyes widened, '_His accent. He speaks Japanese fluently but his accent is ... something else. And, Halloween? The people of Japan in this era no nothing of Halloween_.', she thought.

Inuyasha voiced her thoughts, "Hallo ... what? What the fuck are you talking about? I'm a demon, you idiot."

"A demon, you say? HMPH! There are no such things.", the lord said, cockily.

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, "Well, this 'no such thing' is gonna kick your ass, you bastard!"

Miroku stepped back. Something didn't feel right to him. He always worked on instinct and had learned to trust his vibes. And the vibe he was getting wasn't good,

"Watch yourself, Inuaysha.", he warned.

"PFFT! As if I'd lose to a human like him.", Inuyasha responded.

Nishimura ordered his troops,

"Raid this village, men. Set fire to all the huts and get all the valuables, rice and food you can find. Kill all the livestock, too. If they want to disobey, they will pay for it."

"Yea, yea ...the last guy said that too.", Inuyasha informed him, "And I sent him back to you with his tail between his legs. I'll do the same to you, asshole!"

The soldiers dismounted and quickly started to follow the lord's orders. Miroku attacked a few, but was quickly outnumbered,

"HAIRAKOTSU!"

Sango's weapon broke up the mob around Miroku and he was able to get back on his feet. Inuyasha, meanwhile, was trying to get through the throng to get to the lord. He punched and threw soldiers as fast as he could,

"THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM!", Miroku yelled.

"DAMN!", Inuyasha exclaimed. He decided to just aim for the lord. As he started his leap over the soldiers, he felt Kagome's energy behind him. He knew she was trying to protect the villagers and their homes. He also realized that the release of her powers had gotten the lord's attention, '_DAMMIT ALL_.', he cursed inwardly, '_I don't need him knowing about her powers_!'

Inuyasha thought the lord was distracted enough by Kagome's powers that he could get a clean shot. He thought wrong. He had no idea what happened next ... all he knew was he heard a loud BANG and felt fire ripping into his chest as he fell to the ground,

"INUYASHA!", Kagome screamed.

The village forgotten, she ran to his side She heard the loud bang again and saw Miroku fall. A sobbing Sango was by her husband's side. Kagome tried to stem the bleeding from Inuyasha's chest wound. His blood quickly soaked every cloth she placed on his chest,

"Stay with me, Inuaysha.", she told him, trying not to sob.

She looked up at the lord when she realized she was being watched. The lord stared at her curiously and with rapt fascination. Her anger built up inside her. Closing her eyes and her fist, she prayed to the gods,

'_Please give me this power_.'

The energy swirled around her fist and she began to open her hand and aim it at Nishimura. She wasn't quick enough. He sensed the impending danger and sounded the retreat, himself urging his horse into a full gallop. The energy blast that was released from her hand hit empty space,

"DAMMIT!", she cried out at her failure.

--

Nishimura thought about the young girl that had come to the man's side, as he rode back to the castle,

'_Her power. I could sense incredible power from her. Is she a witch? A sorceress? And her beauty ... a simple peasant but, quite beautiful_.'

He was so lost in thought, he hadn't realized they had arrived at the castle. He dismounted his steed and entered the castle. As he entered, a guard stopped him,

"The young samurai, my lord, what do you want done with him?"

"Ah, yes, him. Tie him up by his wrists on the wall. And bring me his family. All of them. He will watch their torture."

"Yes, my lord."

--

Kagome surveyed the damage. Corpses of villagers littered the village. Some huts, fields and the silos were in ruins. Livestock had been saved thanks to the armies retreat when she started to call forth her energies. Kohaku and other village men were digging graves. She left the minor injuries to Kaede. She picked up a bucket of water and headed into her hut. Miroku and Inuyasha lay on the floor. Sango knelt beside Miroku,

"Miroku's injury is not as bad.", she informed Sango, "Inuyasha's is worse. I must attend to him first."

"Is there anything I can do?", Sango asked.

"Miroku's bleeding has stopped. That's good. But, I must remove the bullet from his chest. I'm hoping I can keep the bleeding to a minimum using my powers. Just stay by him, Sango."

Kagome began to work on Inuyasha. She turned Inuyasha over and realized that the bullet that had hit him exited through his back. Her main worry was the bleeding. Removing his yukata, she realized her worry was not necessary. He was healing already. She figured he was still unconcious due to the loss of blood. She turned her attention to Miroku. Cutting him open carefully, she located the bullet. Removing it, she applied pressure with her hand and sent healing energies into him. She could feel his lifeforce return with strength,

"He'll be fine now.", she told Sango.

Sango breathed a sigh of relief, "I wish I could say the same about the village and villagers."

"I agree. Luckily, a few huts were spared. But, we lost alot of food."

"I'll head over and get the children from the cave.", Sango said.

"Ok.", Kagome watched as her friend left. She sat down and thought,

'_This man, Nishimura. What is his story_?'

--

The lord walked into his bed chambers after a large feast. He was pleased to see the samurai hanging on the wall,

"I hope you enjoy tonight's entertainment.", Nishimura told him.

A guard entered the room dragging a small, screaming girl by the arm. The saumarai's eyes widened in fear,

"NO! DAMN YOU! NO! NOT MY SISTER! SHE'S ONLY 7 YEARS OLD, DAMN YOU!!"

Nishimura ripped the child's clothes off and tied her to the bed as he had done to the other girls. The child cried uncontrollably. He looked at his prey,

"Your name is Mariko, am I correct?"

The child nodded slowly,

"Well, Mariko. You can blame your brother for tonight. I shall enjoy this immensly.", Nishimura grinned evilly, as he removed his clothes.

The girl's screams and her brother's anguished wails echoed throughout the castle.


	5. Evil Incarnate

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Five

Evil Incarnate

Sango assisted Miroku to a sitting position and helped him lean against the wall of Kagome's hut. Inuyasha, having suffered a gunshot wound that ripped his right lung, was awake, but still too weak to sit up. Suki helped feed him his breakfast gruel,

"Yuck!", he complained, "Couldn't Kagome make something with a little more flavor?"

Sango chastized him,

"Just be glad you're eating at all. Kagome said another inch and you would have been mortally wounded."

"Bah!", Inuyasha responded, but finished eating his food.

"Where is Kagome-sama?", Miroku asked.

"She's assisting villagers by repairing huts. Her powers can come in handy in times like these.", Sango smiled.

"As long as she doesn't overdo it.", Inuyasha muttered, "I'm not having my unborn pup put at risk for her powers."

Kagome walked into the hut, with Shinta, Kai and Izayoi following like ducklings following the mama duck,

"Mama's kewl.", Shinta commented, sitting down and pulling out a rounded cloth. Opening the cloth, he started eating the berry bounty inside. Inuyasha's mouth watered,

"Hey, kid, share some of that with your old man, will ya? I'm starving over here."

Kagome knelt down and patted his stomach,

"Yup. You're just wasting away to nothing.", she commented, "If your appetite is back, I guess you'll be fine."

"You GUESS?", Inuyasha stared at her, "What kind of a god are you?", he kidded her.

"Inuyasha ... I am still amazed at the way you heal.", Kagome said, watching Shinta feed his father berries.

Izayoi walked over to her mother carrying a corncob doll,

"Maya needs new dress, mama.", the little girl said, as she sat in her mother's lap.

Kagome kissed the little girl, "Mama will make one after lunch, ok sweetie? Go and play with Tae for right now."

The toddler kissed her mother back, "Okay.", she started to stand up. Inuyasha stopped her,

"Don't I get a kiss?", he asked, "I'm the injured one."

Izayoi wrapped her arms around her father and placed lots of kisses on his face. Inuyasha responded by wrapping his arms around her and burying his nose into her neck, inhaling her sweet scent,

"I love you, baby.", he whispered to her.

"Luv you, daddy.", she responded, before standing up and skipping to the back of the house, dragging her doll on the floor. Kagome just shook her head,

"No wonder she needs a new dress."

Once the kids had left the room, Kagome turned to Inuyasha nad her friends,

"I need to talk to you guys.", she said, softly.

"What is it, Kagome?", Sango asked.

Inuyasha felt a chill run down his spine. Kagome's look concerned him,

"Kagome?", he questioned.

"It's Nishimura.", she responded.

"What about him?", queried Miroku.

"He's not what he says he is.", responded Kagome.

Miroku perked up, "Really, Kagome?"

"Yes. He speaks Japanese fluently, but ... he .. has an accent. It's not a native accent ... it's foreign.", she started.

"What else?", Miroku pushed.

"He doesn't look Japanese. He looks, I don't know, European."

"European?", Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango chorused together.

"What is ... European?", asked Sango.

"Is that another country?", asked Inuyasha.

"More like a continent full of countries.", replied Kagome.

"Like China.", Miroku said.

"Actually, Miroku, China is on a continent that it shares with Europe. The part of the continent that China is on is called Asia. In this era, it's commonly referred to as Eurasia."

"I'm confused.", Inuyasha complained, holding his aching head.

"That's not important, though.", Kagome continued, "He mentioned Halloween ..."

"Hallo ... what?", Inuyasha looked at her.

"It's a holiday for kids in my era. In this time, it's a pagan religious holiday where people dress up in weird clothing to frighten evil spirits away. But, it's not celebrated in Japan ... or even China. It's strictly a holiday in the European countries."

"So, what you're saying, Kagome, ", Miroku concluded, "Is this Nishimura is from another country?"

"Exactly.", Kagome agreed, "And, that's not all. He's not even from this time period."

"WHAT?", the three chorused together,

"That's impossible.", scoffed Inuyasha.

Kagome looked at him with a bewildered look as Miroku laughed,

"Oh, it is, is it, Inuyasha? And Kagome is a figment of our imagination?"

Inuyasha realized the stupidity of his comment but refused to say anything. Instead, he looked at Kagome, "How dya know this?"

"Because,", she replied, "That gun he used ... the bullet I took out of Miroku ... is from a firearm not created until the late 1800's."

"You know that much about guns, Kagome?", Miroku asked.

"Yes. My father collected antique firearms.", she responded.

--

Later that night, Nishimura ordered a feast for his loyal samurai and guards. As the food was served, the Japanese present were appalled to see Yoshimaru, still bound, brought into the eating chambers. The lord announced,

"We have entertainment for the evening, my friends"

He clapped his hands twice and a group of guards wheeled in some strange objects. The guards and samurai looked at each other and spoke in hushed tones. Nishimura ignored their bewildered comments. He waved another group of guards in. Yoshimaru's heart sank when he saw his parents and grandparents being forced into the room,

"Now, my loyal friends,", Nishimura spoke, "Our entertainment."

He motioned to one of the guards. The guard dragged a woman towards a flat machine,

"MOTHER!", Yoshimaru cried out, "No, please, don't hurt her."

Nishimura attached the woman to the strange device, with her hands ove her head and her legs straight,

"This, my friends, is called 'The Rack.'. It is a device used for torture and will be used for punishment."

The lord ordered the guard to work the device, while he sat down and began to eat. As the woman screamed in pain, even the seasoned warriors cringed, while Nishimura smiled and happily ate his meal,

"Come on, friends, eat.", he urged the disgusted soldiers.

Yoshimaru wept at his mother's tortuous destruction. General Ashikawa could only stare at his lord, sickened by the man's enjoyment of the screaming, bloody events while munching away on his food. Nishimura introduced the other torture devices after the woman was torn apart,

"That one is the Maiden.", he explained, as he ordered Yoshimaru's father placed inside the huge, coffin-like structure full of spikes.

"This is my favorite,", Nishimura said, "It's called the Judas Chair."

Another guard forced Yoshimaru's grandfather into the Judas Chair and strapped him down.

The screams of anguish were becoming too much for the some of the soldiers, who were used to quicker, cleaner deaths. Some of them vomited while some of them just got up and left the room. Nishimura ignored them and ordered the young samurai's grandmother to The Rack. As more blood was spilled, the lord continued to eat. General Ashikawa could stomach no more. He had killed many people, even civilians, but, that was war, not entertainment,

"My lord, please, do we need to continue this?", he pleaded with Nishimura.

Nishimura stared at his general,

"You're not enjoying the entertainment I've lined up, general?"

"Not ... really, my lord."

"HMPH! And you call yourself a warrior. You are nothing but a pathetic weasel.", Nishimura waved him off as he went back to his meal.

--

Yoshimaru was brought back to the lord's bed chambers and tied to the wall again. This night, after watching his family tortured and murdered, he had to watch Nishimura humilate and rape his second sister, 10 year old Eka. He tried to drown out her cries, but her wails only mixed with the memories of the screams of his parents, grandparents and baby sister. He begged the lord for death,

"Soon. Very soon.", the lord said, before falling asleep.

Yoshimaru suffered through one more night of having to watch and listen to his last sister, 13 year old Wakana, being attacked by Nishimura. Before his final sentencing, he learned that all three of his sisters had suffered the same fate as his lovely fiancee ... used and abused by the castle guards and samurai before being sent to the stake and burned alive. Nishimura had an even more sinister plan for Yoshimaru,

"This, my friend, is called a Sprinkler.", he told Yoshimaru and those present.

Nishimura filled the device with molten ore and allowed the substance to drip out of the holes. Yoshimaru watched in horror as the lord brought the object closer to him and lifted it over his head, allowing the molten metal to drip into his eyes ...

--

Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Kohaku worked hard with the villagers to restore the fields. Kagome prayed to the gods and called on her powers to get crops growing at an increased rate. Life slowly returned to normal,

"At least until the next time they demand taxes.", Kaede commented.

--

Visitors and refugees from other villages brought disturbing news to the inu-tachi,

"The Hojo and Uesugi clans have been decimated.", Miroku told his friends.

"That's an entire region.", Shippou spoke quietly.

Kagome shook her head. Her history ... her entire world had changed.

"Inuyasha.", she said to the half-demon as they readied for bed,

"Yea?"

"I need to go home.", she told him, "All these changes ... I need to find out about my family ... my friends."

Inuyasha took her in his arms,

"Ok.", he said softly, "We'll leave the pups with Miroku and Sango and we'll go over tomorrow.", he kissed her softly.

"Thank you, Inuyasha."

--

Sesshoumaru walked into the clearing. Facing him was a human on a horse and an army behind him,

"Lord Sesshoumaru.", the man called to him.

"What is it you want, Mori?", Sesshoumaru questioned.

"I come here on behalf of myself, Lord Hosokawa and Lord Ouchi. We wish you to join forces with us."

"And, why would I want to do that?"

"To fight and destroy a common enemy and keep the Western Lands from falling into dispair, my lord."

--

_A/N: All the torture devices I mentioned are actual Medieval Torture Methods, unknown to Feudal Era Japan. For more information, you can Google the names I provided._


	6. Future of Uncertainty

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Six

Future of Uncertainty

Sango picked up Izayoi,

"Are you sure about this, Kagome?", Miroku asked.

"I have to do this.", Kagome replied, "I need to find out about my family and friends."

Kagome hugged and kissed the three children,

"Don't worry, you guys, I'll protect Kagome.", Inuyasha tried to reassure them.

"Take care, Kagome and Inuyasha.", Shippou told them, his voice full of worry.

"Hmhm.", Kagome said, before she and Inuyasha leapt into the well.

Shinta and Kai watched in fascination from the lip of the well as the bluish light enveloped their parents,

"They're gone.", whispered Shinta.

"Like magic.", said Kai.

Izayoi started to cry, "Mama. Daddy."

Sango hugged her and tried to comfort her,

"They'll be back, sweetheart. I promise.", she said, kissing the little girl's tears away.

--

Landing at the bottom of the well, Inuyasha looked up,

"Well, so far so good. The well is here at least.", he surmised.

"And it's not outside.", Kagome said, noticing the roof overhead.

"Or sealed up.", Inuyasha agreed, as he hooked his arm around Kagome's waist and jumped up.

Inuyasha opened the door to the well house and the two realized immediately that the well house was all that was similar. Kagome walked out in total shocked, Inuyasha following,

"Where is the shrine?", she said.

Where the shrine once stood was now a small piece of land. The well house was present, as was the sacred god tree, though it had no representation as such. As Kagome looked around, she saw a very small house a few feet away. It looked nothing like the house she had grown up in. She swallowed hard. Houses had been built around the shrine in the era she knew, but, the houses here were almost on top of the little house and the tree. The land was radically different,

"That's not all.", she heard Inuyasha say.

She walked over to where he stood. Looking down at the street, she gasped,

"An army? Walking the streets with guns?"

She watched the people walking. Civilians were dressed with western style clothes, just as she was used to. But, large amounts of soldiers prowled the streets, armed heavily. She grabbed Inuyasha's arm,

"Let's see if my mother or jii-chan has any answers for me.", she urged.

She walked inside the strange, little house. Nothing looked similar. Slowly examining everything, her eyes alighted on some pictures. She took a closer look at them,

"That's my mother.", she said softly, "But, she has long hair. And, that's my dad. And Souta. But,", realization hit her, "There's no pictures of me. Or Grandpa."

They searched the house slowly and quietly. Kagome's stomach felt sick,

"This isn't my home, Inuyasha.", she told him. She pulled out a scarf and wrapped it around Inuyasha's ears,

"What the hell?", he started to complain.

"We don't need people staring at your ears, Inuyasha. That gaudy outfit will be bad enough."

"Why? Where are we goin'?", he asked.

"To find some answers, that's where."

The pair left the house and headed towards what Kagome believed to be downtown Tokyo. Even with his ears covered, the pair still drew stares. They tried to remain inconspicuous, but, to no avail. A couple of soldiers stopped them,

"Who are you and why are you dressed so funny?", one soldier asked.

"Uhmmm,", Kagome tried to think fast, "We, uh, work at the Yasukuni Shrine.", she said, happy with her response.

"The ... what?", the soldier asked her, "a shrine? There aren't any shrines in this town. Hell, there aren't any shrines in this whole country.", he said, laughing with his comrades.

"Yea, the shrines were all destroyed centuries ago.", said another soldier.

Kagome shifted uneasily. She didn't like the way this was going at all. One soldier got into Inuyasha's face,

"And who the hell are you?", he said, touching a strand of Inuyasha's silver locks, "You ain't from around here, dufus."

Kagome could hear Inuyasha's growl forming low in his throat. Grabbing his arm, she responded,

"Him? Oh, he's harmless. He's from ... uhm ... the United States."

The soldiers looked at her strangely,

"Where?", one soldier queried.

Kagome looked at him like he had ten heads, "Duh ... the United States .. you know ... America?"

This caused the soldiers to bust out into rollicking fits of laughter. Finally, one managed to get his breath and talk,

"I've never heard it called the United States before.", he said to her.

She gulped again but, retained her composure, "I'm sorry. What do you call it?"

"Great Britain North America, of course, you dolt."

She smiled, "Oh, of course, how stupid of me."

"You know,", said one of the soldiers, "You're cute. And, because you're cute and,", he patted her belly, "preggers ..."

Inuyasha grabbed his hand and growled, pulling the soldier face to face to him. The other soldier quickly had his rifle in Inuyasha's face. Kagome was ready to yell the phrase to save him when Inuyasha released the soldier and raised his hands in surrender,

"I don't wanna fight, man.", Inuyasha told him, "I just don't like strange men touching my wife. Got it?"

Kagome sighed a sigh of relief at Inuyasha's demeanor,

"You know, idiot, I don't give a good goddamn what you like or don't like. But, you had better be glad I'm in a benevolent mood today, so I'll let you slide, freak.", the soldier he had attacked told him.

Kagome intervened, "Look. I'm new around here. Can you please just direct me to the closest library?"

The one soldier smiled, "I'd love too, sweetie, but, it's closed today. In honor of the Emperor's birthday."

She smiled, "Ok. Well, will it be open tomorrow?"

"Yea, I believe so. I ain't into reading and shit. But, it's down five blocks. It's across the street from the Blessed Virgin Mary church. You can't miss it."

Kagome nearly choked on her saliva, "Blessed ... Virgin ... Mary ... church?", she gulped hard again, "O-o-ok. Thanks alot."

She grabbed the sleeve of Inuyasha's hitoe and hissed, "Let's go. NOW!"

"Alright.", Inuyasha replied, quietly.

Kagome walked quickly back to the strange house,

"What's the matter, Kagome?", Inuyasha asked.

"What's NOT the matter, Inuyasha. I'll fill you in when we get back.", she told him.

They headed up the stairs towards the well house. As they reached the top, they were greeted by a gun barrel,

"Who are you and why are you on private property?", the young man asked.

Kagome blinked and stared, "Souta?"

The young man looked at her, "You know my name? How? Do I know you?"

"Souta ... it's me ... Kagome ... your big sister. And this is Inuyasha ..."

The young man clicked the rifle into position, "I don't have a sister. And I certainly don't know anybody who looks like him ...", he sneered, "Now, leave, before I shoot you both right here."

"Souta, wait ...", Kagome pleaded. Inuyasha grabbed her arm. She looked at him,

"Don't Kagome."

"But, ..."

Inuyasha studied the boy. His eyes were as cold as steel. Inuyasha wrapped his arm around Kagome's waist. He knew he had to be quick. Timing would be crucial. He could tell by the boy's eyes, he was an expert,

"NOW!", he said to Kagome, as he ran full tilt to the well house, breaking down the doors. His feet left the ground as he heard the gunblast behind him,

'_SHIT_!', he thought.

Kagome felt the bluish light envelope her as she hit the well. As the light faded, she fell hard on the ground,

"Ow. Hey, Inuyasha, you could've landed with a bit more grace, ya know.", she chided him. All she got for a response was a loud moan, "Inuyasha?", she grabbed the half-demon, "What's wrong?"

"I've been hit.", he moaned.

"C'mon, we gotta get outta here so I can treat it.", she urged, trying to get him to stand up. It was useless,

"Ka - go - me,", he stammered, "I can't feel my legs."

Kagome stared at him in disbelief, "Ok. I'll go and get Miroku to help.", her breathing rapid as she tried to remain calm.

--

Inuyasha lay on his stomach on the floor of the hut. Sango and Kaede assisted her as Miroku and Kohaku watched. Rin and Shippou watched the children in Miroku's hut,

"This is bad.", Kagome murmured, "The bullet shattered his spine and spinal cord. I really do not know if Inuyasha can survive this. And, if he does, I don't know if his spinal cord will regenerate like other parts of his body do."

She bandaged Inuyasha's wound and covered him. Inuyasha moaned in his drug induced stupor. Kagome stared at the bullet,

"It's a high caliber rifle. A military rifle. That's all I know of it.", she said, "And I only know that because I saw the rifle.", she sighed and sat on her buttocks, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her head in her knees.

"What happened Kagome?", Miroku asked.

Kagome lifted her head up, tears in her eyes,

"Japan ... was a military state. After World War II, Japan lost to the United States. The country was forced to dismantle its navy. The military was never used. It wass mainly for appearances. But, according to the soldiers, there is no United States. He called it, Great Britain North America. As if, the United States had never won its independence from Great Britain. And, not only that, he mentioned that the library was across from a church ... called Blessed Virgin Mary something or other. And, that no shrines existed in the country, at all."

"I don't understand much of what you are saying, Kagome, since I do not know your history.", Miroku conceded.

"A church?", Sango inquired, "Is that like a temple?"

"Yes. But, it belongs to the Christian religion. In the era I knew, Christianity wasn't a prevelant religion. And, there were no churches close to the shrine."

"From what you're saying, it sounds like this other religion now dominates and Shintoism and Buddhism are no longer practiced.", Kaede mused.

"Yes. It would seem that way.", Kagome sighed.

"And, you said, your little brother didn't know you? That he said he didn't have a sister?", Sango asked.

"Yea. And, in the pictures on the wall, I didn't see any of myself.", said Kagome.

Miroku appeared lost in thought, "Hmmm, Kagome."

"Yes?", she looked at the monk.

"Don't you think it strange that there were no pictures of you in that house? And that your little brother didn't know you?"

"Duh. I just said that, didn't I?", Kagome muttered.

"Then, Kagome, if it is like you were never born, why are you here still? If the future has changed and your history has changed to the point where your family says you do not exist ... then .. why do you exist?"

Kagome stared at Miroku, trying to comprehend what he was saying,

"Hoshi-sama?", Kohaku queried.

"Maybe because Kagome was here when the future changed?", Sango suggested.

"But,", Miroku explained, "Kagome wasn't born here. She time-traveled here. She was born 500 years into the future. Yet, her brother doesn't know her."

Kagome looked at her feet, "He's right.", she mused, "Why am I here?"

--

_A/N: Fun fact ... Blessed Virgin Mary was the Catholic Church and School I attended as a child in Darby, Pennsylvania. Needed a name and chose that. Thanks for the reviews. See ya soon with Chapter 7._


	7. Disappearing Powers

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Seven

Disappearing Powers

Kagome stared at her open palm before closing it into a fist. She looked up and stared out the window at the blue, summer sky. Inuyasha, sitting up against the wall, watched her carefully. He could see the look of concern gracing her features,

"Kagome?", he queried.

"Huh?", she replied, startled out of her thoughts, "What do you need, Inuyasha?"

"Nothing.", his voice was quiet and reserved, as he turned his head and faced the window, the sun beams highlighting his hair and face.

Two months had passed since that fateful day, when the two of them had returned to modern day Japan, only to discover that the world Kagome had known was gone, replaced by a military state. They had tried to return through the well, but were stopped by Kagome's brother, Souta. That's when they had learned that it appeared Kagome didn't exist in that new, modern world, and in the process of escaping to the past, Souta had fired a rifle, hitting Inuyasha squarely in the back. His spine and spinal cord had shattered upon impact.

Now, for reasons that Kagome couldn't figure out, Inuyasha hadn't healed as he used to. Kagome kept the wound opened so that she could track his progress. Over the course of the last two months, the spine was slowly regenerating. That was the key word ... slowly. She had seen Inuyasha bounce back from worse wounds in her time with him and she was at a loss for his lack of recovery. He remained wounded, paralyzed from the waist down. His demeanor seemed to be paralyzed as well,

"Inuyasha?", she asked, as she sat beside him,

"Yea, what?", he turned his head to look at her,

"What would you like me to make for dinner tonight?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Dunno.", he replied.

She sighed, "Inuyasha. I know it's slow, but, you _are _recovering."

He didn't respond. He just continued to gaze out the window. She followed his gaze. Shinta, Kai, Izayoi and Shippou were running around chasing butterflies. She saw the wistfulness in his eyes. Her heart broke for him. She moved closer and wrapped her arms around him,

"Oh, Inuyasha.", she spoke, softly.

Moments passed. To Kagome, it seemed like an eternity. She could only imagine how Inuyasha felt, no longer being able to run, jump or, for that matter, fight,

"I saw you in the fields today.", he commented, "In your condition, that's the last place you should be, woman.", he gently chided her.

"I was mainly picking what was ready. Miroku and Kohaku have been handling the hard labor."

"That's not the point, wench, and you know it. You should be taking it easy."

"I still have another month and a half. It's not like I'm an invalid, you know.", she spoke the words and immediately regretted them.

Inuyasha's head turned back towards the window. She heard him sigh softly,

"Why are you stll here?", he questioned her.

"Huh?", she lifted her head off his shoulder to look at him, "You want me to leave you alone?"

"Why are you still with me?"

She blinked, "Why wouldn't I be? I promised you I would never leave. And I definately wouldn't leave you now."

"I don't need sympathy."

"I'm not here for sympathy. I'm here for support.", she started getting angry, "The Inuyasha I know wouldn't give up. He doesn't know the word defeat."

"Maybe I'm no longer him."

Kagome stood up, "I recall once, in battle, you said that someday, you would lose to someone stronger than you, but, he wouldn't be human. Yet, here you are, staring out the window feeling sorry for yourself, after being attacked by a MERE MORTAL!"

Inuyasha stared at her, defiance burning in his eyes, his anger evident, "WITH A WEAPON I CAN NOT DEFEAT! NOW LOOK AT ME, I CAN'T PROTECT MY FAMILY!", he screamed, emphasizing every word, punching a hole through the wall with his left fist for more emphasis.

Kagome felt the tears well up in her own eyes and she quickly knelt down to hold him tightly,

"Then I'll protect us.", she whispered, "Until you can do it again."

--

Miroku leaned against the wall in Kaede's hut listening to the village men,

"Look at what has happened to Inuyasha. We cannot rely on him to protect us. We will have to pay the taxes the next time they come to collect.", said one man.

"Men, please, if we give into them on this, then they will overpower us on everything.", Miroku explained.

"They already have.", said another.

"We're still recovering from that last attack.", said yet another.

"Can you protect us, Monk Miroku?", asked another man.

"Not alone, no. But, Lady Kagome says that Inuyasha is recovering. It's just a matter of time. Plus, we also have Lady Kagome's powers.", Miroku pleaded.

"And it's only a matter of time until they come and collect again. Inuyasha-sama may not be recovered by the next time.", urged the first.

"And what about Lady Kagome's powers? They seem to be lacking as of late.", commented yet another.

Kaede spoke up, "I tend to agree with the villagers, Lord Miroku. At this time, I say we make sure we have the money or property to pay the taxes, should they come again. At least until Inuyasha is better."

Miroku sighed softly in defeat, "Fine. I will add my portion. But, I do this under duress.", he stated firmly.

"So noted.", said Kaede.

--

Nishimura sat upon his stallion,

"GENERAL!", he called.

Ashikawa rode up to him, "Yes, m'lord?"

"Uesugi castle is destroyed and the Hojo clan is defeated. Then why are my flags not flying in those areas?", his voice was low and angry.

"The demons, my lord. Their resistance is stronger than we had thought. Especially, under the leadership of the wolf demon, Kouga.", Ashikawa explained.

Nishimura slammed his fist onto his saddle, "DAMMIT!", he swore, "I should be mounting campaigns against the Western lords by now. Not still trying to finish the Eastern lands."

"Not bad work for a bunch of imaginary fairy tales, eh, my lord?", Ashikawa looked at Nishimura in slight amusement.

Nishimura looked at the general for a moment before turning his horse around and heading back to the castle.

--

Riding into the castle town, Nishimura was stopped by one of his samurai,

"My lord. The temple that you wanted built ... we are having some ... issues ... my lord.", he stated.

Nishimura set his jaw firmly and spoke "It is NOT a temple, you idiot, it is a church. And, what issues?"

"It seems that all the younger, stronger men were taken for battle. The older men and women are not as strong and are having problems building it, sir.", the samurai spoke quickly.

"We have villages around the town, do we not?"

The young samurai nodded, "Then get more people from there. Must I tell you everything?"

"N-n-no m'lord.", the samurai bowed and hurried away. In the short distance, Nishimura heard the young man, "C'mon, soldiers. Let's ride."

The lord dismounted his steed at the castle entrance and walked inside. An older man approached him,

"My lord.", he bowed, deeply.

The lord removed his riding gloves and continued walking, "Ahh, Nagoya, my good man, have you any information for me?"

"Yes, my lord. That young man at the village is a half-demon who goes by the name, Inuyasha. Apparantly, he is the son of a legendary dog-demon from the west. From what I can gather, he is very powerful. And, like all demons, hard to destroy because of their ability to heal quickly."

Nishimura stopped and thought a moment, "And, what about that woman?"

"She is apparantly who the shrine is dedicated too."

"The living deity?"

"Yes. Her powers are godly. She also harnesses spirtual and demonic powers."

"Hmmm. She might come in handy.", Nishimura spoke thoughtfully.

"She is also the wife of Inuyasha. From what I've heard, you won't get near her without a huge battle."

"All the better, my good man.", the lord patted Nagoya on the back and smiled broadly, "When I return from my sojourn, I'll have to pay her a visit."

The older man bowed nervously. The lord's smile made him ill indeed.

--

Kagome wheeled an object into the hut,

"Inuyasha! Look what I have for you!", she called out cheerfully.

Inuyasha turned his head to face her. He was again sitting and staring out the window. The spot he sat every morning since becoming paralyzed 3 months earlier,

"What the hell is that?", he queried, "A chair ... with wheels?"

"Yup! We call it a wheelchair. I described it to Takahiro. He's an excellent craftsman. He built it for you out of good, strong wood. The wheels turn beautifully", she gushed.

"What's it for?", he eyed the chair suspiciously.

"It's to get your lazy ass away from that window and outside for some fresh air!", she exclaimed, "Now, try it out!"

"I don't wanna."

"INUYASHA! TRY IT OUT OR I'LL SAY IT!"

"You'd 'sit' an injured man? Oh, you're a real sweetheart, aren't you?"

Kagome set her jaw and spoke through clenched teeth, "GET IN IT!"

"No."

"DO IT!"

"I said, NO!"

Kagome clenched her fists and stood her ground,

"INUYASHA!! DAMMIT! GET IN THE FUCKING CHAIR OR I WILL PICK YOU UP AND PUT YOU THERE MYSELF!!"

Inuyasha backed up as close to the wall as he could physically get and stared at her, his eyes wide in fear, "ok.", he gulped.

Dragging his limp lower half, Inuyasha seated himself in the chair,

"Satisfied?"

"Thank you.", Kagome said, curtly.

She walked over to the chair and wheeled Inuyasha outside. Shinta, Kai and Izayoi made a big deal over their father being outside. Miroku, Sango, Kohaku, Rin, Shippou and Kaede greeted him,

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Inuyasha.", Miroku kidded him.

"HMPH!", was Inuyasha's only comment.

"That is a really neat invention, Lady Kagome.", Rin commented.

"It does come in handy.", Kagome agreed.

"So, how's Inuyasha's progress coming, Kagome?", asked Kaede.

"Slow. But, at least I can tell that he will eventually recover the use of everything again. He has some feeling in his feet.", she replied.

"Why is it taking so long, Kagome?", asked Shippou, concerned.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha and then back at Shippou, "I really don't know. It's as if my Reiki powers are weak."

"You've mentioned that before, Kagome.", Miroku mentioned, "How, since you've returned from the modern era, your powers seem different."

"Yes. It's as if they're being sealed up or something. Sometimes I have them and sometimes ..."

She was disrupted by the thundering of hooves,

"It's Nishimura and his men!", Miroku jumped up.

"DAMMIT ALL!", Inuyasha cussed.

Kagome turned to Rin, "Wheel Inuyasha round to the back of the hut and stay there!"

Rin obliged and pushed the wheelchair away. Kagome grabbed her bow and took up a defensive position beside the others at the center of the village,

"Back to collect more money?", Miroku angrily asked.

"Where is the half-demon?", Nishimura noticed Inuyasha's absence.

"He's not here right now.", Miroku lied, "Is your business with him?"

"No, actually,", Nishimura replied, "I've come for your living deity.", his eyes settled on Kagome.

'_DAMN_!', Inuyasha thought from behind the hut, '_He's discovered Kagome's powers_.'

"Come for her?, asked Miroku.

"Yes. I could use someone as powerful as that.", Nishimura smiled his wicked smile.

Kagome notched an arrow, "I'm not leaving with you or anybody.", she spoke with conviction.

Kagome released her arrow. It hit Nishimura in the arm. Miroku just stared,

'_That was just a normal arrow. Where are Kagome's spiritual powers_?', he thought.

Kagome looked at her bow, '_My powers _...'

Miroku took advantage of this, "It appears it would be worthless for you to take Lady Kagome. Her powers are at the will of the gods and it seems they do not wish her to have them right now.", it was a lie, but it was all Miroku could think of at the moment,

"You and your gods.", Nishimura muttered, loud enough for Miroku to hear, "There is but one God and you will feel his wrath by my own hands.", he said, removing the arrow from his arm.

Shippou was becoming angry, "You better leave this village ...", he warned.

Nishimura laughed at the child, "Or, what? What can you do?"

"FOX MAGIC DEMON PUPPET!", Shippou yelled out his attack, sending a small doll out towards the horses. The doll grew greatly in size, spooking the horses, sending them into a panic.

Nishimura and his army tried to control the rearing horses, to no avail. The horses finally took off, running away from the demonic toy,

"HA! That'll teach'em.", Shippou said, as he pocketed his doll.

"Good going, Shippou!", Miroku congratulated him.

"It was nothing.", Shippou said, as he turned to Kagome, "Kagome ... where's your spiritual powers?"

"I don't know, Shippou.", she responded, sadly.

--

A week went by and Kagome was still unable to access much of her powers,

"Don't worry about it right now, Kagome.", Inuyasha said to her, "The pup is due very soon. I don't want you overexerting yourself."

Kagome looked up at him from her position on the ground. She was busy preparing herbs from the garden,

"I know.", she lamented, "Still ..."

She stood up and picked up her basket of herbs. Leaning over the wheelchair, she kissed her husband, "I'll be right back."

"I'll be here."

She smiled at his self-depreciating comment. Since he had gotten the wheelchair, his spirits had lifted considerably. She headed into the hut and nearly ran into Miroku,

"Oopps. Sorry, Kagome. Kai let me in. Is Inuyasha out there?", he asked.

"Yea. Where else would he be?", she smiled.

"Of course.", Miroku replied, exiting out the rear of the hut.

Kagome placed the basket on the floor and sat down to prepare the herbs for drying.

Sssssssssssspppp ...

SLAP!

"ooooooohhhh..."

"MYOUGA! It's you.", Kagome was a bit astonished, "Where have you been?"

Myouga recovered, "Kagome, it is horrible. The eastern demons are being annihilated by the new warlord."

"Nishimura, you mean."

"Yes. The demons that have survived are taking refuge at Toutousai's mountain. Oh, by the way, how is Master Inuyasha? Any change?"

"So, you've heard, have you? Nice of you to come and pay him a visit, Myouga.", she chided the flea.

"I've been busy.", the flea crossed his arms and turned away, "I was investigating this Nishimura ningen."

"What have you discovered? Anything we can use to defeat him?", she asked and then,

"KAGOME! HURRY!"

Miroku ran inside,

"NOW!"

Kagome stood up and ran outside,

"Is it Inuyasha?", she called to Miroku.

Exiting the hut, she saw Inuyasha had wheeled to the side of the hut,

_'Good. He's okay_.', she thought.

Miroku had run around to the front of the hut. Villagers were gathering, gawking. She heard the comments,

"It's a demon!"

"Kill it!"

Rounding the front of the hut, she saw what, or actually who, was causing all the commotion. There, kneeling on the ground, dripping massive amounts of blood, was,

"KOUGA!!"


	8. Kaede's Village Annihilated

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Eight

Kaede's Village - Annihilated

Kagome rushed to Kouga's side and looked back at the gathered villagers,

"You will not harm him.", she ordered, "He is already injured. He poses no threat to the village."

With Miroku's assistance, Kouga walked slowly to the back of Kagome and Inuyasha's hut, away from the stare of villagers,

"Shinta, go get my bag of bandages and medicinal herbs.", Kagome told the youngster, "Where are you hurt, Kouga?"

"I'm ... not ... sure.", he panted out, "I ... was ... hit with ... something strange. It made a loud bang."

"A gun most likely.", Kagome assumed.

She looked over Kouga's tunic and discovered where the blood was coming from,

"My gosh. You were hit in the buttocks, Kouga."

"WHAT?", Inuyasha growled, "Kagome, you ain't touching that wild animal's ass."

Kouga looked up and spotted Inuyasha,

"I wondered where you were, muttface.", Kouga growled, "Why don't you come over here and say that to my face!"

"I'd love to!", Inuyasha growled back.

Miroku intervened, "Inuyasha can't move, Kouga. He was shot also and he is paralyzed from the waist down.", he informed the wolf demon.

"MIROKU!", Inuyasha growled his displeasure at having his condition told to the wolf.

"PFFT! At least I managed to only get shot in the ass. You're pathetic, dog-shit.", Kouga shot at him.

"Why you ...", Inuyasha growled low and mean.

Kagome stood up, "Kouga, you'll stop your talk this instant, do you hear me? Or I won't work on your wound!"

"Fine by me.", Inuyasha growled.

Kouga stood up, "Oh yea, I'll kill you this time, for sure, muttface. Now that you can't run away ...", he started towards Inuyasha.

Kagome got in front of him, her anger boiling to the surface,

"KOUGA! DON'T YOU EVEN DARE ...", she started saying, stretching her hand in front of her.

They all noticed it. As a breeze fluttered by, Kagome's hand began to glow,

"Kagome!", Miroku said, awed.

"Is it?", Inuyasha wondered.

"My powers ...", Kagome noticed.

Around her hand, energy swirled. She pulled her hand closer to her face and studied it. Then she turned to Inuyasha,

"Inuyasha. Lean forward. Let me see your back."

Inuyasha did as he was told and Kagome laid her hands on his back, concentrating all her energy to his wound.

"I'm ... feeling ...my feet.", Inuyasha spoke quietly.

Kagome removed her hands from his back,

"Now we just wait and see.", she said.

"Your powers have returned, Kagome.", Miroku said.

"Let me work on Kouga, just in case.", she said, rushed.

"Just in case what?", said Miroku.

"Just in case my powers disappear again.", she informed him.

"Why do you think they will disappear?", Inuyasha asked her.

"Because, I have had this happen before."

"WHAT?", Inuyasha and Miroku chorused together.

"Why haven't you mentioned it to me before this?", Inuyasha pushed.

"And, if it's happened before, why haven't you tried to heal Inuyasha?", asked Miroku.

"Because, when it happened, I was elsewhere in the village. It was the same way, I'd get a bit angry and I would feel a breeze. Then I would feel my powers wrap around my hand. By the time I would get back to the hut, it had dissipated.", she informed them, "so, I didn't say anything."

"You would always feel that breeze, Kagome?", Inuyasha asked her.

"Yes. Kouga, that bullet may work it's way out or it may stay. Either way, you're good to go."

Kouga clasped her hands, "My thanks to you, dear Kagome."

"Watch it, wolf!", Inuyasha growled.

Kagome removed her hands from Kouga's grasp, "Kouga, I'm married to Inuyasha. He has every right to attack you if you flirt with me.", she gave the wolf a knowing look.

"HMPH! I'm too late, am I?", Kouga said to her, "Well, I'll just have to defeat him in battle, won't I? Then I'll have every right to claim you."

"DREAM ON! YOU'LL NEVER DEFEAT MY FATHER IN BATTLE!"

Everyone turned to look. Standing on the porch was a very defiant Shinta, fists on his hips. Kai stood next to him, equally defiant,

"YEA! MY DADDY'S NEVER LOST TO NO ONE!"

Kagome smiled, "Kai. Shinta. Don't worry. There won't be a battle."

"Kai? Shinta?", Kouga queried, "You named your pups after the wolf cubs?"

"Yes.", Kagome answered him, "Because we liked the names."

"Kagome?", Miroku questioned, "I've been thinking. You say you feel a breeze before you regain your powers, correct?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Could it be that Kazemaru is trying to break through whatever is holding your powers at bay? He always did show up after a wind."

"Hmmm. That's possible. Kaze does mean wind and that is how he always made his appearance. So, you think whatever is holding my powers back is working through the gods?"

"Or, somehow, stopping the gods.", Miroku mused.

"Kagome? When was the last time you felt your powers return?", asked a small voice.

"Myouga?", Inuyasha queried, "Is that you?"

"Y-y-yes, Master Inuyasha?", the flea stammered.

"Where the hell have you been all this time?", Inuyasha questioned his vassal.

"Looking for answers to Nishimura.", the flea responded.

"Keh. Nice of you to come see how I was doing, you old bastard."

Kagome interrupted the conversation, "Myouga, the last time I felt it was about a month ago."

Myouga appeared lost in thought, "A month ago, you say. Nishimura was gone from the area about a month ago. I know not where he went. He was gone for a week."

"What are you saying, Myouga, spit it out!", ordered Inuyasha.

"Nishimura just returned yesterday from being gone for about a week."

Inuyasha sighed, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Maybe it does have something to do with it, Inuyasha.", said Miroku, "Maybe, Nishimura has something to do with Kagome's powers. And the loss of some of your demonic powers. Maybe, when he disappears to wherever he goes, the gods are able to respond again."

"But, you heard Myouga, he just returned.", said Inuyasha.

"Maybe whatever it is, is so strong, that by the time they break through whatever it is, he has returned. And then the barrier, or whatever is keeping the gods away, returns.", mused the monk.

"That's why my powers don't last that long.", agreed Kagome.

"Ok. But, what about my healing abilities? They aren't 'by the gods'.", Inuyasha posed the question.

"That I haven't figured out yet.", said Miroku.

Kagome held out her hand and sighed, "They're gone.", she said, referring to her powers.

--

Kagome made a huge feast that night,

"I don't know why we have to share our food with him.", Inuyasha grunted.

"Hey, I'm injured.", the wolf growled back.

"Inuyasha, be nice for once.", Kagome admonished, "Say, Kouga, where are Ginta and Hakkaku? And Ayame?"

"I made them take refuge at Toutousai's place. It isn't safe for them alone.", Kouga responded between mouthfuls, "This is good. Really good.", he mumbled, stuffing his face full.

Kagome smiled, "Thank you."

"HMPH!", Inuyasha huffed.

"Are you going to marry Ayame?", Kagome asked.

"Uhh,", Kouga looked down at his food, "I dunno know."

"I think you should. You did promise her.", Kagome reminded him.

"You remember that, do you?", Kouga replied sheepishly.

"Kouga, I'm married to Inuyasha. You deserve to be happy, too. Marry Ayame. Then you can rule the tribe together.", Kagome gushed.

"If we survive the demon massacre in the east.", Kouga commented, "This Nishimura idiot despises demons, I've heard."

"Yes.", agreed Myouga, "He does dispise us. He didn't believe we existed, at first, but, now, he says that he will destroy all demons because his 'god' wishes him to do so."

"How do you know all this, Myouga?", asked Inuyasha.

"Because I have been spending time in his castle or following him around. Being so small I can do that without being seen.", the flea replied.

Kagome stared at her plate,

"That's right. The last time he was here, when I shot him with an arrow, he mentioned about his god. He's monotheistic."

"He's what?", asked Inuyasha. looking dazed and confused.

"Monotheistic. He believes in just one god. Shintoists are polytheistic. We believe in multiple gods.", she explained.

"So who's right and who's wrong?", questioned Kouga.

"What?", Kagome responded.

"Is there one god or many gods? Who's right? Who's wrong?", Kouga rephrased the question.

"No one knows for sure. There are literally hundreds of different religions and faiths throughout the world. Some believe in multiple gods. Many believe in just one god."

"PFFT! I don't believe in any of that horseshit!", grumbled Inuyasha.

Kagome sighed, "Then there are people like you, Inuyasha. They're called atheists. They believe in no gods whatsoever."

"Damn right! I believe in myself. I don't need to rely on any god for my power.", he exclaimed.

Kouga finished his meal and stood up,

"I'll be going, Kagome. Thank you for taking care of me and thank you for the food.", he said to her.

"Already? Are you sure you're well enough, Kouga?", Kagome asked in surprise.

"Unlike the half-breed, I'm a full demon. I'm fine. Catch ya later, Kagome."

In a flash he was gone.

"Why you ...", Inuyasha grumbled, "When I can walk again, I'll ..."

"Do nothing.", Kagome scolded him, "Just eat, Inuyasha."

--

Miroku started up the steps to Inuyasha's hut. He was greeted by the half-demon himself,

"Inuyasha!", Miroku said, surprise in his voice, "You're walking again! How wonderful!"

"Yea. 'Bout time. I've been up and around since last night.", Inuyasha informed him.

"Great. That's wonderful news.", Miroku said.

"Yea, well, my demonic healing is still slow. It's been a week since Kagome used her power.", he complained.

"Speaking of which, how is Kagome? She's due any day, isn't she?"

"Very soon. She said her labor started this morning. But, her waters haven't broken yet, so Kaede isn't here yet to assist."

"INUYASHAAA!", he heard a yell from inside the hut. Before he turned around, Kai was beside him,

"Mama says get Grammy Kaede. Her waters broke.", he informed his father.

"I'll get Kaede, Inuyasha. You go to Kagome.", Miroku said, as he left the hut.

"Yea, thanks.", Inuyasha said as he entered the hut.

Upon Kaede's arrival, she ordered Inuyasha out of the hut. He grudgingly complied,

"Don't know why I can't be with her.", he complained to Miroku.

"Men don't belong in the same room as a woman about to give birth.", Miroku explained to him, for what Miroku felt was the umpteenth time.

"PFFT! I was there when she got this way!", Inuyasha shot back, "I got her pregnant, I should be able to be with her when she gives birth. It's only right, I am the father, after all."

Miroku smiled, "Maybe someday, attitudes will change, my friend."

"Yea, right.", the half-demon replied.

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head as Kagome's painful cries exited the hut. But, his ears perked up as soon as her cries stopped and the wails of a newborn baby filled the air,

"Congratulations, my friend.", Miroku said, slapping Inuyasha on the back.

Kaede and Sango exited the hut. They didn't even have a chance to speak before Inuyasha was past them and into the hut.

'Well?", queried Miroku.

Sango came over and kissed him, "A healthy, robust baby girl.", she announced, happily.

--

Nishimura paced the room angrily,

"My lord? What do you want us to do? The eastern demon tribes have successfully pushed our troops back. We have many casualties. And, now you are ordering us to begin a war with the western lords. We need more troops.", Ashikawa informed him.

"THEN GET MORE!", Nishimura ordered him, "ATTACK ALL OF THE SURROUNDING VILLAGES! TAKE ALL THE STRONG MEN YOU CAN GET. AND THEN BRING ALL THE VIRGINS TO ME! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED! NOT BY A HORDE OF DEMONS!!"

Ashikawa nodded and bowed, "Yes my lord."

"And, Ashikawa, destroy the villages. Take all the food and valuables for your troops."

"Yes, my lord. As you command."

--

Sango hopped on Kirara,

"I'll be back soon. I'll check out these people's stories.", she said, as the demon took off.

"Miroku, do you think Nishimura would really order the destruction of all the villages?", Kagome asked, holding her week old newborn close to her protectively.

"If, as these refugees say, he needs more troops, I guess he would. We know he's capable of it."

"Yea, well, he won't destroy this village without a fight.", Inuyasha growled menacingly.

"That's right, Inuyasha.", Miroku agreed.

Kirara returned later that day with her mistress,

"Sango, what did you discover?". Miroku asked her.

"All the surrounding villages are burned to the ground. The fields are ravaged and corpses are everywhere. But, the dead are all very old or very young."

"That bastard.", Miroku spoke through clenched teeth, "We'll have to be on our guard, Sango."

"Yes!", she agreed.

--

Kagome sat up in bed, nursing her newborn pup,

"Good girl, Shiori. You were hungry, weren't you, sweetie?"

Inuyasha turned over onto his back and looked up through the window at the moonless sky. Like always, it was a sleepless night, and tonight he was filled with dread, for good reason. He closed his eyes. He prayed his dread was in vain.

"INUYASHA!", Kagome hissed.

Inuyasha's eyes flew open,

'_SHIT_!', his dread wasn't in vain and the sound of horses galloping hooves stated such.

Kagome laid the baby down and threw on some clothes. Inuyasha was dressed in his fire rat in seconds,

"Get the pups and get outta here.", he ordered Kagome.

"But, what about you?"

"Never mind me. Just do what I say. GET OUTTA HERE! NOW!"

Kagome grabbed the baby and woke Izayoi. Shinta and Kai were already beside her,

"Mama?", they chorused.

"Don't worry.", Kagome shushed them, "Let's go."

Kagome herded the children out the rear of the hut. This was the very reason that Inuyasha had designed the hut with a rear entrance. Should the village ever come under attack, the pups had another exit besides out into the battle.

Inuyasha ran outside. What he saw made his sick. Hundreds, literally hundreds of soldiers had entered the town. He knew there was no way, as a human, he could defeat them. The leader of the army called out,

"All men and boys over the age of ten are hearby ordered by Lord Nishimura to be recruited into his army. And, all unmarried girls are ordered to the castle."

One village man came forward,

"You'll never take my son and daughter!", he yelled.

"Imputance!", the general yelled out, slashing the man in two, causing villagers to scream.

This incident sent the soldiers into a killing frenzy. A couple soldiers rounded up eligible men while another set rounded up the girls. Inuyasha tried in vain to fight some of them off, but he realized there were just far too many.

Fighting off a few soldiers, Miroku ran over to his hut. Sango was there, with a transformed Kirara. Rin was already on Kirara's back along with Shippou and his kids,

"Sango. You get on Kirara too.", he ordered.

"No. I will fight ...", she started.

"Go ..now!"

He saw Sango's face change to a look of fear,

"KOHAKUUUU!", she screamed.

Rin looked up, "NOOO. KOHAKUUU!", she screamed.

Miroku turned and watched Kohaku being dragged away. He headed towards the soldiers and attacked. Inuyasha was beside him, slugging as many as he could. Miroku saw soldiers heading towards his hut,

"GET AWAY! NOW SANGO!", he screamed as loud as he could.

"C'mon Sango,", urged Shippou, "Let's get outta here."

Sango listened, hopping onto Kirara's back as the demon cat flew away.

Miroku turned back to his opponents, but, his distraction cost him dearly. He felt a hard hit onto his head before passing out,

"Miroku!", Inuyasha cried out.

Inuyasha soon realized he was fighting a losing battle but, he refused to give up. He heard a soldier nearby say,

"A demon! Kill him and bring his head to the lord."

Inuyasha twisted, trying to get away from the large group surrounding him. He felt something sharp in his back,

'_Damn! I've been stabbed_!', he thought.

He fell to his knees, blood spraying out of his wound,

'_They got me good_.', he realized, as he felt another stab in his back. His vision became blurry from the loss of blood. Leaning on his left hand, his eyes took in the destruction around him. Huts burning, dead villagers. Gasping for air and cursing the loss of his demonic powers, Inuyasha felt the air swirl around him and heard the soldiers' screams of pain as they fell to the ground, dead. Before passing out, Inuyasha caught a glimpse of a green whip-like vine spinning near him, as soldiers started to mount their horses and flee,

"IT'S ONLY A DEMON!", he barely heard the army leader say, "KILL IT!"

The final word Inuyasha heard before completely losing conciousness was a low, deep,

"VERMIN!"


	9. Refuge

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Nine

Refuge

Sango took a tally of the escaped villagers and returned to Kagome and an injured Kaede,

"We have 5 elderly, besides Lady Kaede,", she informed Kagome, "Except for my 6 and your 4 ... and Shippou ... most of the children over 6 were either captured or killed. We have 13 children under 6 ... including two suckling infants. Then there's us, Hisa, and 4 other village women that escaped. And ... I don't know what became of Rin. She was with us ... but, she disappeared.", Sango finished, sitting down beside Kirara.

Sango's children huddled up to her,

"Where's father?", asked Cho.

Kaede and Kagome watched Sango's eyes filled with tears,

"I don't know.", she answered.

Kagome looked out of Onigumo's cave into the dawn sky. Thanks to Kazemaru's cleansing of the cave, they were able to use it as a sanctuary. She inhaled deeply. Her own pups had asked the same question of her, earlier,

_Flashback_

_'Where's daddy?'_

_End flashback_

'_Inuyasha. Miroku. Where are you_?', she worriedly thought.

--

Inuyasha felt himself being unceremoniously dumped onto the ground, his aching body complaining the whole time,

'_At least I'm alive_.', he thought to himself, silently cursing his mortal body.

As he felt the sun register on his face, he felt his strength returning. His mind realized that his claws, fangs and dog-ears were re-forming,

'_The moonless night has ended!_'

As he began to regain conciousness, his nose twitched,

'_SHIT_!'

He sat up, trying to ascertain where he was,

"Sesshoumaru!", he spat out.

"You filthy whelp!", his brother replied, "I save your sorry, disgusting ningen ass and that's how you greet me?"

"I didn't ask you to save me.", Inuyasha replied, getting up, '_Ouch! That still hurts_!', he thought, then realized, "I'm healing! My healing powers have returned!", he commented out loud.

"Of course. You're on sanctified demon ground. Humans cannot survive here and neither can their influences.", Sesshoumaru informed him.

Inuyasha looked at him, his interest piqued, "Do you know what's going on out there, Sesshoumaru? Because if you do, you'd better tell me."

"I owe you no explanation. All I do know is what Myouga has told me. The Western Lands haven't been attacked yet, though it is only a matter of time. Most of the Eastern Lands have fallen to that ningen. The demons have run scared to Toutousai's mountain. The Western human lords have looked to me for assistance."

"Will you help them?", Inuyasha asked.

"I have no time for human wars.", his brother replied.

"Then, why were you at Kaede's village?", Inuyasha asked Sesshoumaru suspiciously.

"Hello, Master Inuyasha.", came a female voice.

"RIN! What the hell are you doing here? You left with Sango ...", Inuyasha spoke.

"And, Lord Sesshoumaru sent Ah-Un for me.", she replied.

"She'll be safer here than with the taijya.", Sesshoumaru scoffed.

'_Taijya_,', Inuyasha's mind sped up, "Rin ... were Kagome and the pups safe?"

"Yes.", she replied, then her tone turned worried, "Do you know what became of Kohaku?"

"No, I don't. Did my family escape to the cave?", he pushed her.

"Yes. That's where Ah-Un came to get me.", Rin explained.

"Fine. I'm off.", Inuyasha spun around and disappeared.

Sesshoumaru just watched as his brother disappeared,

"Come, Rin.", Sesshoumaru told her.

"Right away, my lord.", she said, taking Ah-Un's reins.

--

Miroku sputtered and shook himself off when a bucket of water was thrown into his face,

"Get up, holy man.", he heard the voice.

Miroku opened his eyes and started to sit up. He realized he was inside a building. As his eyes focused, he took in the ornateness of the room,

'_Am I in a castle_?', he thought.

His thoughts were answered when his eyes focused on the men in front of him,

"NISHIMURA!", Miroku spat out.

"Ahh, I'm pleased to know that you recognize me, priest.", the lord spoke with a sly smile.

"I'm a monk, not a priest.", Miroku informed him, as he stood up, "Where's my staff?"

"Do you actually think I would let you keep a weapon?", Nishimura laughed, "I'm not stupid. Oh, by the way, allow me to introduce you to your commanding officer. This is General Ashikawa."

"Commanding officer?", Miroku queried, "I am a peaceful man of the cloth. I do not fight battles."

"Oh really?", Nishimura looked at him in mocked surprise, "According to the general, you fought amazingly well last night against my troops."

"I fight only when I must to survive.", Miroku said, quietly, then, looking at the general, "Where is Kohaku?"

Ashikawa stared back, "Kohaku? I have no idea who you are talking about."

"A young man from the village ...", Miroku explained.

"I don't ask names, monk. As long as they are strong and healthy enough to fight, that's all I care about.", the general told him.

Miroku sat back down on the floor. He knew he had to come up with something and fast. Right now, he simply resigned himself to surviving.

--

"DADDY!", Izayoi cried out.

Kagome rushed to the front of the cave, Shinta and Kai on her heels,

"INUYASHA! You're safe!", she hugged him tight, as three pups jumped on their dad.

"Where's Shiori?", he asked of his littlest pup.

"She's fine. She's with Kaede, sleeping.", Kagome informed him, "Do you have any idea where Miroku, Kohaku, and Rin are at?"

"Miroku's not here?", Inuyasha asked her and she shook her head, "Damn! Nishimura's army must have captured him along with Kohaku. Rin is with Sesshoumaru."

"Sesshoumaru?", Kagome looked at him strangely.

"I'll explain later. As long as you and the pups are okay, I'm gonna go look for Miroku and Kohaku.", Inuyasha told her.

He looked deep into her eyes. He tried to convey as much of his feelings as he could in that one, short look. Kissing her deeply, he conveyed his gratefulness that she was alive. Hugging the three present pups, he backed up slowly, as if afraid to look away. Finally, he turned and disappeared,

"Hurry up, Inuyasha.", she pleaded to the air.

--

Inuyasha sniffed the air,

'_I can pick up Miroku's scent_.', he thought, thankful for that, '_But, Kohaku's scent has dissipated. They must have moved him elsewhere_.'

He raced at lightning speed. Leaping through the treetops, he was able to catch glimpses of neighboring villages,

'_All the villages are nothing but ruins, just as Sango said_.', he thought, '_And, no one buried the dead_.', he thought, sadly, as he saw mutilated corpses ... the results of wild dogs, wolves and carrion birds.

He landed on a tall oak just outside the castle town. As he watched the town, he realized that the only townspeople he saw were either elderly, older women, or very young children. The elderly and women, he saw, were working making a building,

'_A temple_?', he questioned himself.

He sniffed again, '_Miroku is definately inside_.', he realized.

He was about to leap into a tree within the town when he stopped. He saw a man atop a brilliant, white stallion approach along with another man on a lesser steed,

'_That's Nishimura and the leader of the army from last night_.', Inuyasha realized.

Inuyasha was about to leap down and confront them, using the Tessaiga to destroy them once and for all, and end this hell that the warlord had subjected the surrounding areas too. As he was about to jump, he heard the lord cackle,

"Look at him, Ashikawa, maybe we should take some target practice."

Inuyasha followed Nishimura's stare. He saw an elderly man, obviously blind, attempting to drink from a cup held up by a woman. To Inuyasha's surprise, Nishimura raised a bow and arrow instead of a gun. The lord notched his arrow and sent it flying, just barely missing the old man. The woman dropped the cup and stomped over to the lord,

"My lord,", she said, using politeness even though her voice was curt, "He has worked on your church endlessly for 5 weeks now. He is starving and thirsty. And, thanks to your army, now blind. He is of no threat to you."

"I don't give a damn if he is a threat. He is a waste to me. He can no longer work so he shouldn't be using up te grain and water from the other workers.", Nishimura smirked, as he notched another arrow and fired, this time hitting the man squarely in the chest. Inuyasha cringed as the man fell over. The woman ran up to him,

"FATHER!", she cried out.

Another arrow flew through the air and hit the woman in the back, killing her,

"That's for talking back, bitch.", Nishimura spoke.

Inuyasha decided now was the time. He unsheathed Tessaiga and prepared to leap when he realized,

'_Tessaiga_?'

He stared at the untransformed sword,

'_What the _...'

His mind traveled back to Sesshoumaru's words,

'_Of course. You're on sanctified demon ground. Humans cannot survive here and neither can their influences_.'

'_Damn. Nishimura has something to do with the loss of some of my powers. And, now I'm in his territory. So, it's probably affecting the Tessaiga. As well as any of my demonic powers_.'

Coming to the realization that he was defenseless against Nishimura and, especially a gun, Inuyasha decided that stealth was the preferable option in rescuing Miroku. Staying outside the town, he went from tree to tree until Miroku's scent became the strongest. He then entered the town through the trees and swiftly entered the castle,

'_Damn. I hate having to watch myself_.', he thought, as he slowly wound his way around the castle.

Miroku's scent permeated a few rooms, '_Shit. They've had him all around this damn place_.'

Peering in one room, he saw Miroku's shakujo in a corner. He walked in and grabbed the holy staff. Hearing voices outside, he slipped into a small room. As the voices faded away, he was about to leave when,

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha turned around. Sitting on the floor, bound, was Miroku. Inuyasha quickly went over to him and sliced the ropes holding him,

"At least you're alive, monk.", Inuyasha said to him, "Here, I believe you're missing this.", he said, handing the staff to his friend.

"My shakujo. Where was it?"

"PFFT. Next room. C'mon. We can't dawdle here. My demonic powers are useless here.", Inuyasha informed him.

"As are my spiritual powers. This is the center of whatever is disturbing our world."

"I won't disagree with you there. I feel like it's the day before the moonless night."

Miroku followed Inuyasha as the half-demon slowly wound his way back to where he had entered. Kneeling down, Miroku hopped on his back,

"Let's get the hell outta here. I feel like shit!", Inuyasha exclaimed as he leapt out of the castle window,

"Shouldn't we find Kohaku?", Miroku asked, as they left the castle town,

"He's not here. His scent isn't around here. He was, but now he's gone and the scent is too eroded for me to follow.", Inuyasha told him.

"And Sango?", Miroku asked, his voice concerned,

"Fine. As are your pups. They're with Kagome, Kaede, and Shippou at Onigumo's cave."

Miroku cringed as he saw the remains of the villages,

"Have you seen Kaede's village yet, Inuyasha?"

"No. But, I was gonna go and see if there's anything salvageable there for the survivors.", Inuyasha told him.

The two landed near the goshinboku. Thick, black smoke arose from the village,

"All I can smell is smoke and blood.", Inuyasha said to Miroku.

They headed into the village,

"DAMN!", Inuyasha swore.

"Everything is gone.", Miroku said softly, "The huts, the fields, the animals.", he began to pray over the dead bodies.

Inuyasha stared at the corpses littering the ground,

"Let's bury these people. It's the least we can do for them."

It was dark by the time Miroku and Inuyasha returned to the cave. Along their way, Inuyasha captured as many deer, boar, and fish as he and Miroku could carry. Their arrival was greeted with relief and happiness. Sango didn't want to release her husband from her grip.

Kagome had fires lit in the cave. As she and Kaede prepared the food, Inuyasha took Shinta and Kai out to gather some wild vegetables and roots. Sitting around the cave with the few surviving villagers, the half-demon made sure that all the humans and the children had their fill before he ate. He eyed Kagome and her still half-full plate,

"Why aren't you eating?", he asked her.

Kagome stared at the plate, "It's mostly boar liver that's left.", she said.

"And? You need to eat all the organ meat you can. I've told you that before. You're feeding a pup ... you need more food."

"Shiori's fat and happy. I'm not short on milk ... in fact, I've nursed two other village babies today who lost their mothers."

"All the more reason. NOW EAT!", he ordered her.

Kagome picked up her chopsticks and picked at the meat. Inuyasha always gave her extra organ meat when she was nursing and frankly, ever since she had learned what his special cold medicine was made of, she had to force herself to eat liver,

"Ka-go-me ...", Inuyasha stressed every syllable,

She smiled a fake smile and forced herself to eat,

"Happy?"

"I will be when that plate is empty."

"Who do you think I am ... one of your pups?"

"When you act like this ... yes."

She stuck her tongue out at him in defiance,

"Keep it up and I'll take you across my knee.", he teased.

"Promises Promises.", she teased back.

Shiori squirmed and fussed in her basket. Inuyasha leaned over and picked her up, cradling her against his chest and patting her back. She quieted down immediately. Kagome watched as Izayoi crawled into her father's lap and got comfortable,

"Seems you have a way with women, Inuyasha."

It was Shippou.

"Yea. He's two-timing again.", Kagome teased.

"It's my pups. I can two time, three time, however many time ... the more girls you have ..."

"Oh hush, Inuyasha. I'm just impressed with how the babies respond to you.", Kagome said.

"And, what's that supposed to mean?", he looked at her.

"It means,", Shippou spoke up, "That with the way you always treated me, it's amazing how you treat the children."

"HMPH! Yea, you were always a pain in my ass."

Kaede came up to the front of the cave,

"Inuyasha. Miroku says the village is in ruins."

"Yea.", he agreed, "It'll take a hell of alot of work to get it functional again."

"Only for it to be raided by Nishimura's men again.", said Shippou.

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders. He knew the kitsune was right.

"So, what do we do?", asked Kagome, "We can't live in here."

"And, returning to the village isn't a wise decision.", Kaede concurred.

"I have an idea..." Inuyasha started, looking lost in thought.

"What?", Kagome, Kaede and Shippou chorused.

Inuyasha looked out at the night sky, "I'll tell you tomorrow. There's nothing we can do right now. Let's get some sleep."

Kagome sighed but, Shippou and Kaede yawned,

"Good idea.", Shippou agreed.

Inuyasha laid the now sleeping infant in her basket and placed a very tired Izayoi on the floor. She began to complain until Shinta and Kai joined her and the three fell asleep curled up together. Inuyasha pulled Kagome into his lap and she snuggled into his hitoe. Her breathing soon indicated to Inuyasha that sleep had won its battle. He gazed back outside the cave, up at the stars,

'_I wonder if it's still there_.'

--

Shortly after midnight, Inuyasha slipped a sleeping Kagome off his lap and laid her beside the children. He waited a few moments, making sure she didn't stir. Confident she was sound asleep, he exited the cave and disappeared.

--

Kagome awoke as the sun hit her face. She stretched and yawned. Seeing that Inuyasha wasn't there, she assumed he had gone off to get breakfast. Shiori began to fuss and make her hunger known,

"Wow. You slept through the night.", she said to the baby, as she prepared to nurse.

When Inuyasha hadn't returned by mid-morning, she became concerned. Kaede had started to cook the last of the meat and vegetables from last night for the hungry refugees. Shinta, Kai and Izayoi went to play with Shippou and the other children. Kagome sat at the entrance to the cave, soon joined by Miroku and Sango,

"Where did Inuyasha get too?", Miroku asked.

As if knowing he was being talked about, Inuyasha landed directly in front of the cave,

"INUYASHA!", Kagome got up and ran to him, throwing her arms around him, "Where were you?"

"Sorry to worry you.", he said, softly into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her, "It took me a little longer than I expected."

"What took you a little longer than expected, Inuyasha?", Miroku questioned.

"Fixing up the new village."

"HUH?", said Sango.

"C'mon. It's kinda far. Get the villagers. We'll put as many elderly on Kirara's back as we can. I was also able to find some horses. I think they escaped from some of the villages. The other villagers can ride them."

The tachi gathered the refugees together and they headed out following Inuyasha. By early afternoon, some of the villagers were complaining of hunger and thirst, so they stopped to rest,

"It really is far, isn't it?", Kagome said.

"Not much farther.", Inuyasha informed her through bites of deer meat.

Leaving right after lunch, Inuyasha again took the lead. Shinto, Kai and Izayoi screamed and giggled in happiness at their father's speed and leaps. Inuyasha looked down on his left and thought to himself,

'_Mother_.'

Sango turned to Miroku and whispered,

"Say, Miroku, isn't that Inuyasha's mother's gravesite?"

"Yes.", he answered, almost solemnly.

Inuyasha landed softly on the ground. Kirara landed beside him and the horses stopped, too. Kagome got off of Inuyasha's back and looked around. Before her stood a small, Heian era castle town. Looking around, she realized that the town was deserted yet, the place looked recently lived in,

"Inuyasha?", she queried.

"This is what I was doing this morning. There was alot of overgrowth and the buildings looked horrible. Doesn't look too bad now. I think, with Miroku's assisatnce, we can have this place comfortable in no time.", he explained.

"Where are the townspeople?", asked Shippou.

"Hasn't been any for about a century or so.", Inuyasha told them.

"It's hidden.", Miroku noticed, "And, quite far from Nishimura's castle."

"The villagers should be safe here.", Kaede mused, as she began to explore the buildings.

"No huts.", Shinta commented.

"Nope. These are strong buildings. They've survived many earthquakes with minimal damage.", Inuyasha stated proudly.

"Amazing.", Sango spoke in awe.

"How did you know of such a place, Inuyasha?", Kagome asked him.

"It's where I was born."


	10. Jii chan

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Ten

Jii-Chan

"Ooohhh ... Kagome ... yesss ... it feels so ... gooood. YESSS ...Oh Kami ... I'm getting close ... please ... faster ... harder ..."

"**YEOOOOOWWW! GODDAMN IT!**"

**SLAM!!**

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! MAMA! DADDY THREW ME AGAINST THE WALL!"

"INUYASHA!"

"DON'T SIT ME, WOMAN! IT'S HIS FAULT! HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO JUMP ON SOMEONE WITH HIS FUCKING CLAWS OUT!"

Kagome entered the bedroom, carrying a whimpering Kai, "Where did he lan ... OWWWWW!", she winced when she saw Inuyasha rubbing his enlarged, bleeding member, "Ok, Kai, I'm gonna side with your father on this one.", she said to the child as she walked out of the room.

Inuyasha sat on the floor, his head in his hands, "FUCK! It was just a fucking dream!", he mumbled, "Goddamn dream!"

Examining the claw marks, he determined they were superficial. Standing up, he threw on his clothes and exited the bedroom. He sat down at the table,

"I wish you had woken me up.", he complained, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry. After all the work you did yesterday, I figured you needed the sleep.", Kagome explained.

Inuyasha's gaze settled on Kai, "Come here, boy."

Kai walked slowly over to his father,

"I sorry daddy. I just wanted to play.", Kai said to him, his head down.

Inuyasha picked up his youngest son and cradled him,

"You won't do that anymore, will you?", Inuyasha asked him.

Kai shook his head, "Uh unh."

"Good. I'm sorry for what I did. Are you ok?"

Inuyasha hugged the boy tight and kissed the top of his head,

"Go play.", he told his son.

"Inuyasha?", Kagome started.

"What?"

"It's been two months since we've come here. The villagers are pretty much settled. I think we need to investigate Nishimura further. Maybe even ..."

"Look ... I've told you before ... for right now the demons can handle Nishimura ..."

"But ..."

"But, nothing. It's almost winter. Miroku and me are the only men in this village. I refuse to have any more villagers die on my watch. Especially women and children. And you ... you are not only nursing Shiori but also those two human kids. There are no other nursing mothers here. I'm not dragging three suckling babies into battle. And, as for going back to your era ... the same thing applies. We have no idea if the pups can go through the well. And as long as you are nursing ..."

"I get the point.", she sighed in defeat.

He got up and pulled her close to him, his chest to her back. He wrapped his hands around her waist,

"I know you're worried about Kohaku. You know I've taken Kirara out almost every morning searching for his scent. Nishimura is covering a very large amount of ground. Kohaku could be anywhere. And, don't forget, Sesshoumaru is involved in this too, even if he pretends not to be. If he finds Kohaku, he won't let anything happen to him."

"I know what you're saying, Inuyasha. But, like you also said, it's almost winter ..."

"And how long was Kohaku on his own with Naraku? He's a trained demon slayer which means he's trained to survive in the winter. He'll be fine. Unlike me.", Inuyasha smirked into her hair.

"Whaddya mean?"

He pressed his hips into her backside,

"Whaddya mean what do I mean? Whaddya think, wench? You ain't holding up your end of the bargain on the wifely duties here.", he complained, rubbing his hips harder against her.

Kagome smiled a sly smile, "Well, sorry! You've been coming to bed so late ... I've been asleep ... so wake me up if you're so desperate."

Inuyasha groaned, "That's just it, I feel guilty if I wake you up. You're tired, too."

"Then stop your moaning and groaning."

He tightened his grip around her and buried his head in her hair, inhaling its sweet scent, "Ok, how about now? The kids are busy ..."

Kagome turned around in his arms and kissed him deeply,

"I'll take that as a yes.", he said to her, when she broke the kiss.

--

Nishimura paced his horse back and forth along the snow covered ground,

"Ashikawa!", he called to his general.

"Yes, my lord?", the general responded, riding up beside him.

"How are we doing?"

"Your flags are flying over the Eastern Lands. The demons have all escaped to a place where no human can reach them, my lord."

"What do you mean exactly, where no human can reach them? I want the demons detsroyed!"

"My lord, there are certain places where no human can tread. These are known as demon grounds. Should a human step foot onto it ... they would be destroyed instantly."

Nishimura appeared lost in thought, "We must find a way to infiltrate those areas. I will not be satisfied until I destroy all the demons!"

"But, my lord, you have the Eastern prefectures. Kyoto will surely notice your strength. And soon, you will win in the West."

"That's not good enough.", Nishimura turned his steed to leave, "Have your men bring me some girls."

Ashikawa nodded, "Would you like some sake, my lord?"

"Sake? That tasteless crap you call alcohol? No, Ashikawa, don't bother. I have my own liquor."

"Yes, my lord."

--

Sesshoumaru surveyed the damage of the land under the control of the Mori clan,

"So, it has begun.", he said quietly.

"My lord?", queried Jaken.

"My lord, we have visitors.", Rin advised him.

Sesshoumaru eyed the group of demons rushing up the hill,

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

The demons bowed to the daiyoukai,

"We plead with you. Please help us destroy the ningens that are attacking the villages. It is not only the humans they are after. They are hell-bent on killing all demons!", said one of the demons.

"If you cannot destroy the humans then run and hide yourselves on demon grounds. They cannot follow you there.", Sesshoumaru advised them in a condescending voice.

"But, my lord, they threaten to take over your father's lands ..."

"These are no longer the lands of my father. They are my lands now. I will take care of them. Eventually."

Sesshoumaru turned and walked away. Jaken and Rin just stared at his retreating back,

'_What is up with Lord Sesshoumaru_?', thought Jaken.

'_Lord Sesshoumaru ... what has you so concerned_?', thought Rin, who then urged Ah-Un and Jaken, "Let's go, Master Jaken. We don't want to get left behind"

'_I can feel it. My powers ... are not whole. What is causing this_?', thought Sesshoumaru.

--

Kohaku sat down by the fire to get warm,

"They'll continue making us fight into the deep winter.", complained another young soldier, "The lord doesn't care about us. Only about capturing land."

"If we start dieing off, he'll have to care.", answered Kohaku, "Without us, he doesn't have an army."

"There's more where we came from.", muttered an older man, "All he needs to do is raid more villages.'

Kohaku stared at the flickering flames,

'_Sister. Rin. I hope you are all right. I'll get back to you. I promise_.'

--

Late one cold winter night, the army that had Kohaku, attacked a village near the western lands,

"GATHER ALL THE MEN AND BOYS AS WELL AS THE UNMARRIED WOMEN!", the captain ordered, "THEN TAKE ALL THE VALUABLES AND BURN THE HOUSES!"

The army did as they were told, some with more zest than others. Kohaku burst through a front door to find an older woman huddling with a young girl,

"Please. Do not take my daughter away. She is all I have left.", the woman pleaded with him.

Kohaku stared at the young girl. She reminded him of Rin. He gulped hard. He heard the captain shouting orders outside. He knew the penalty for disobeying was death. He looked out the window. The hut was surrounded on three sides by trees. He made his decision,

"Come with me.", he urged.

The mother grabbed the girl's arm and followed him. Kohaku slashed his weapon at the rear of the hut, creating an opening,

"C'mon. We don't have much time."

He led them out into the forest. Finding a small thicket, he told them,

"Stay here. I'll be back for you later tonight."

The woman nodded and held her daughter tightly.

Kohaku ran back to the village and re-entered the hut. He grabbed what looked valuable and set the hut ablaze before rejoing the army.

Near dawn, after the army returned from their raid, Kohaku started to leave the encampment,

"Hey! Where are you going?", shouted one of the senior samurai,

"I have to go to the bathroom ... is that alright? With the way my farts stink I don't want to do it here.", Kohaku informed him.

"Eww ... go ahead. Get outta here.", the samurai told him.

Kohaku entered the forest and found his way back to the burned out village. He made his way back to the thicket. He was glad to see the woman and her daughter were still there and unhurt,

"Come on. I know a cave where you can stay.", he urged them.

The woman and her daughter followed Kohaku to a small clearing. On the other side of the clearing was a small cave. He took them inside,

"It's a comfortable temperature in here. It's cool but, warmer than in the snow. I'll bring you some firewood and some food. Just wait here."

Kohaku hurried back with firewood, kindling and some food that he had managed to sneak away from the encampment,

"I am so grateful to you, young man.", the woman said, tears in her eyes.

"As am I.", agreed her daughter.

"My name is Ima.", the older woman told him, "And, this is my daughter, Nara.", the woman nodded towards the young girl.

"My name is Kohaku.", he introduced himself, "You just stay here. When I can, I'll bring you supplies."

"All right. Thank you very much, Kohaku."

Kohaku nodded and then left, returning quickly to camp. Approaching the camp silently, he saw that everyone was asleep. He moved in and resumed his spot. Thankfully, it seemed, no one had noticed his long absence.

Throughout the bitter winter, Kohaku continued to take supplies to the two women when he could. The army had settled in the region for the winter, providing him ample opportunity to provide for them. Using his demon slayer trained stealth, he hunted game and secured dry wood. He also managed to grab garments from other raided villages. The women were extremely grateful for his help ... and Kohaku found himself thinking more about young Nara and less about Rin. He began teaching the girl how to hunt, build a fire, and care for herself and her mother.

One night, in early spring, Kohaku arrived,

"The army is moving out tomorrow. I won't be able to assist you anymore, Nara."

"Oh, Kohaku, I'm scared.", Nara ran into his arms and sobbed.

Kohaku hugged her, tightly, "It'll be alright. I taught you everything you need to know. There's an old town just south of here. It was abandoned a long time ago. But, there's houses there. You should be able to repair one to live in. The forest surrounding it is full of game and there is a stream and a lake nearby. You should do well there."

"Will you come see us? Please?", Nara begged him.

Kohaku hugged her tighter, "Yes. When I can, I will come and see you."

"Thank you, Kohaku.", Nara said softly.

'_Rin_.', Kohaku thought to himself, '_I'm so confused right now_.'

--

Miroku leaned on a fence overlooking the pasture. Inuyasha walked up to him, leaned his back against the fence, propping his elbows on the fence. He leaned his head back, allowing the sun rays to warm his face,

"Now that spring is here, things should go easier on the villagers.", Miroku stated.

"Yea. At least that asshole's armies didn't kill all the livestock in the area. We were able to gather quite a lot of animals over the winter.", Inuyasha agreed.

"Buddha will provide.", Miroku spoke.

"Buddha hell!", Inuyasha stared at the monk, "It was MY nose that found them and MY strength that brought them here."

"Watch what you say, Inuyasha. We don't need the wrath of the gods or Buddha at a time like this."

"PFFT! Whatever. Either way, we have plenty of meat in the town. And the women are planting all the seeds we were able to recover. Wild vegetables will be sprouting soon. We'll gather them and that should take care of all the villagers for a while."

"Yes. Even with the newcomers we took in over the winter.", Miroku agreed.

"More old people. What we need are some younger people to work the land. These old fogies can't do it all."

Miroku changed the subject, "So, have you decided?"

"Huh? Decided what?"

"Kagome said she felt she needed to go back to her era to try to get some answers. Are you going to go?", Miroku expanded his question.

Inuyasha sighed, as he turned around and leaned on the fence,

"Yea. It's our only option. We know that Nishimura has a time portal from somewhere. Kagome's positive about that. But, that's all we know. She believes if she goes back to her era she might be able to find something out."

"When are you going to go?"

"Soon. Kagome's weaned the two human babies. Shiori's the only one nursing right now. I don't like it, but, technically, she can be weaned and fed gruel. We may have no choice. If we don't start getting some answers who knows what's gonna happen."

"I agree."

--

Nishimura entered the main chamber room,

"Update me!", he commanded.

"The armies are moving into position in the West. It seems that the western lords have joined their forces together. We have a major battle on our hands, my lord.",

Nishimura moved closer to the man,

"What is your name?", he asked the man.

"Arashi Shozo, my lord.", the man gulped out.

"You are the captain of this army?", Nishimura continued to question him.

The man grew visably nervous, "Yes, my lord."

"You are the one who was on duty the night the monk escaped. And, now you tell me your army cannot handle the warlords of the west without reinforcements?"

"Well, you see, my lord ..."

"You obviously are not fit for command. You will be replaced immediately. GUARDS! Take this idiot away from me."

"But ... my lord ... I have served you well ...", Arashi pleaded, as the samurai dragged him away.

"FOOL!", Nishimura muttered.

Later that day, Nishimura sat down for supper with some of his samurai. Four samurai wheeled in a huge, iron tub shaped like a bull.

"Ahh, my friends. More entertainment for this evening's meal.", Nishimura said.

The gathered samurais shifted uncomfortably. They hated their nightly entertainment of torture, but, none disobeyed, lest they be subjected to the devices themselves.

"This, my friends, is called the Brazen Bull. It is filled with oil ... I prefer oil over water as it cooks better. Bring the prisoners in, please.", Nishimura ordered.

The samurais did as they were told, leading in three men. Some of the samurais gasped when they say Captain Arashi amongst the prisoners. Nishimura ordered the men placed in the bull and a fire lit underneath. As the anguished screams of the men being boiled alive filled the room, Nishimura merely smiled and ate his meal.

--

Kirara landed with a quiet thump on the ground beside the Bone Eaters Well. Sango, Miroku and Shippou hopped off. Inuyasha landed beside Kirara and let Kagome off his back,

"Please take care of the children.", Kagome looked at her friends.

"Don't worry, Kagome. They'll be fine.", Sango assured her.

Inuyasha took Kagome's hand,

"Let's get this over with.", he said, jumping on the lip of the well.

"Bye you guys.", Shippou said, as they disappeared into the well.

'_I hope you find something out_.', Miroku thought.

--

Inuyasha and Kagome landed softly at the bottom of the well. Inuyasha looked up,

"HMPH! They've closed the well up.", he noticed.

Kagome looked up, "Oh great."

"PFFT. As if that'll stop us.", he said, preparing to leap.

"Inuyasha! Wait! Don't ...", Kagome started to say, as Inuyasha broke through the wooden cover, "make so much noise."

"C'mon Kagome.", he lifted her out.

At Kagome's urging, they waited for a few moments to make sure no one came to investigate the noise from the well house. When Inuyasha determined that there was no one around, the exited the small building. Kagome looked around. It appeared nothing had changed since their last visit. Inuyasha started to head to the steps,

"Wait, Inuyasha."

"What?"

"These clothes. We need to change our clothes. That way we don't stand out."

"And, what do you propose we do?"

"Over there.", she pointed out to a house next door, "They have wash on the line. Let's see if what they have will fit us."

"You're gonna steal ...?"

"No. More like ... borrow. Now, let's get over this fence."

Inuyasha made sure that the area was clear before jumping over the fence with Kagome. Kagome started searching through the clothes. She found a pair of sweatpants and a shirt that she was sure would fit Inuyasha,

"Here. Take off that fire rat and put this on."

"Here?"

"Uh ... yea. No one's around, right?"

As Inuyasha grudgingly changed clothes, Kagome found an outfit that looked like it would fit her. She took it off the line and faced Inuyasha, who was red in the face and grumbling,

"How the fuck does this ..."

Kagome tried hard not to burst into fits of laughter,

"Inuyasha. You're putting your head through the sleeve ..."

"Huh? Oh ... like this?", he asked.

"That's better. And, the string part of the waistband? That goes in the front."

Inuyasha removed the pants and turned it around, "Like this?"

"Yup."

"Stupid modern clothes."

Kagome shook her head. She removed her kimono and dressed herself in the skirt and blouse that she had found,

"Hmm. A little short ...", she said.

"HMPH! Like that should bother you. Look at the kimono you used to wear to that school of yours."

"Hmm. True. Well, let's put our clothes in the well house. Then we'll head to the library."

They headed back to the well house and Kagome laid the clothes inside. Walking out, she saw Inuyasha kneeling,

"Inuyasha?"

"Get on. I'm not taking any chances. We'll take the high road."

"Ok.", she agreed, as she climbed on.

As Inuyasha leapt from building to building in the direction that Kagome told him, he asked her,

"So, what is this library place?"

"They have all kinds of books. I want to look up history books. I need to see if I can find out when history really began to change."

Kagome spotted the church that the soldier had described,

"That's not a church! That's a cathedral!", she exlaimed.

"There's a difference?", Inuyasha asked when he landed in an alleyway.

"Just in size mainly.", she replied.

They walked out to the street,

"There it is.", Kagome said, pointing across the street.

They walked across the street and entered the huge building. Kagome noticed a directory. Spying the computer room, she decided to go there first. She spent the better part of the morning looking at history archives on the internet. Nothing looked familiar to her. Something inside her told her to look for old newspapers. She went up to the desk,

"Do you have old newpapers on file?"

"Yes, we do. On microfilm. What years do you want?", the librarian asked her.

"Let's start with 1900 to the present."

The librarian got up and opened up a drawer. She pulled out 4 boxes,

"Here you are. 1900 to 1925, then 1926 to 1950 and then 1951 to 1975 and finally, 1976 to 2000. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. You can use the machine right there in the corner."

"Thank you.", Kagome said, heading over to the machine and sitting down. Inuyasha stayed right beside her,

"Thank goodness for microfiche.", Kagome said.

"Micro - what?", asked Inuyasha.

"Never mind.", she said, as she began looking through the papers.

As she went through the first 25 years, Kagome noticed alot of articles about the Japanese military might. The first thing that caught her attention,

"WHAT? Japan wasn't involved in World War I ... let alone victorious."

She loaded the next 25 years. It didn't take very long until the next major change showed up,

"World War II was won by the Japanese. Hiroshima and Nagasaki didn't happen."

The more she read, the more she was shocked,

"Japan is a major world power? Along with Great Britain? And the United States doesn't exist ... it's only referenced as Great Britain North America. I see nothing about Canada, Mexico, or the United States in any of these papers."

Kagome didn't realize how much time had passed until the librarian came over,

"It's nearly closing time. I need you to return them to the desk, miss."

"Uh, yea, sure ... let me just finish this one thing.", Kagome pleaded gently.

"Ok. 5 more minutes.", the librarian said, as she walked away.

Kagome was getting ready to close everything out when a picture caught her eye,

"Jii-chan!", she whispered softly.

Inuyasha peered over her shoulder,

"What's the old man doing in the picture?"

"This says that Higurashi Nakamura was committed to St. Barnabas Asylum for the Criminally Insane! It says he was committed last year."

Kagome closed out everything and packed it all up. Returning the microfiche to the desk, she asked the librarian,

"Ma'am, how do I get to St. Barnabas for the Criminally Insane?"

The librarian eyed her suspiciously,

"Why do you want to know that?"

"It's none of your business, wench! Where the hell is it?", Inuyasha pushed.

"HMPH! It's in the Shibuya-Ku ward. 1-24-17 Jinan, Shibuya-Ku."

"Thank you!", Kagome said, pulling Inuyasha's hand, "Let's go!"

Kagome directed Inuyasha in the direction of the Shibuya-Ku ward,

"At least they didn't change Tokyo addresses.", she said, thankfully.

Arriving in the ward, she directed Inuyasha to the Jinan district. It didn't long after that to find the building. Kagome stared at the huge, nondescript, gray fortress. She felt herself shudder,

'_Jii-chan_.'

They entered the bulding. In the lobby was a woman dressed in military clothes. She eyed the couple warily,

"May I assist you?"

"Yes.", Kagome answered, "I need to see Higurashi, please."

"Are you a relative?"

"Yes, I am."

"He doesn't normally get visitors.", the woman advised her.

"Well, he has one today!", said Inuyasha, "Where is he?"

She stood up, "Follow me. Shizo, watch the desk.", she ordered a male attendant.

Kagome and Inuyasha followed the woman down the hall. Inuyasha whispered to Kagome,

"What if he doesn't recognize you?"

"I'll deal with that when it happens.", she whispered back.

"It's down that hall.", the woman stated, "Room 34."

"Thank you.", Kagome said, pulling Inuyasha by the hand.

They found the room and looked inside. It was barren except for a chair, a table and a bed. The window, up high on the wall, had bars covering it. The room was dingy and depressing. Kagome walked in slowly,

"Jii-chan?", she called out to the figure in the bed.

The old man turned over and stared. Then his eyes grew wide,

"KAGOME!!"


	11. Time Rip

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Eleven

Time Rip

"Jii-chan, you remember me?", Kagome asked, shocked.

"Of course, girl. How could I ever forget my dear granddaughter!", her grandfather cried happily as he hugged her tightly.

"I'm just surprised, that's all.", Kagome said, as she pulled away from her grandfather's embrace, "Souta didn't know me at all."

Tears fell down her grandfather's face, "Oh, dear girl, what has happened to the world? The world has gone crazy! The shrine ... it's gone ... everything I know is gone. I keep telling people this isn't how it's supposed to be. So, they called me crazy. Your mother and Souta locked me up in here. But, I knew ... I knew you would return and help set everything straight."

"I'll try grandpa. Really, I'll try.", Kagome spoke softly, as she held the old man's hands.

"Kagome.", Inuyasha said softly.

Kagome turned her head towards Inuyasha. He was facing the door. Kagome stood up and turned toward the door. Standing there was a young man, apparantly in his early twenties, dressed in a military outfit,

"You know Higurashi-sama?", the young man asked.

"Yes. Why?", Kagome's voice was suspicious.

"Then I suggest you leave."

"Why is that?", Kagome stated, her fists on her hips, "I came to see my grandfather and to find out why he's locked up in this hell hole!"

"Your ... grandfather?", the young man said, hesitantly, "I was told he only had a grandson. Not a granddaughter." The man's gaze moved from Kagome to Inuyasha, "What are you?"

"Huh?", Inuyasha's voiced surprised at the question.

"Are you a ... demon?", the young man questioned, "Those ears ... aren't human."

Kagome stared at Inuyasha, realization hitting her like a ton of bricks, "Oh no! How could I have forgotten to cover those things!"

"Did they see you at the front desk?", the young man asked.

"Yes, they did.", Kagome groaned.

"Then come with me. You're not safe here. The military police will be on their way."

"Why?", asked Kagome.

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell you later. Just follow me."

The young man walked out the door, followed by Inuyasha. Kagome leaned over and kissed her grandfather, "We'll be back for you. I promise.", she whispered in his ear, before following Inuyasha. The young man led them down a corrider to a small room,

"Why are we here?". Inuyasha asked.

"The whole hospital is under video survelliance. Everything that was said and done in that room and the hallways was recorded. I'm just erasing your visit.", the young man told them.

"Won't they be able to tell the video was altered?", Kagome asked, after assuring Inuyasha she would explain what the man was talking about later.

"No. Usually nothing happens around here. I have tons of video just showing empty halls and your grandfather's room with only him in it. I can easily splice it together and they'll never know. They're stupid like that. They don't have the videos time and date stamped ... so there's no way to tell what time anything happened.", he explained.

"What about this room?", Kagome looked around suspiciously.

"HMPH! This room? This is my domain. They think it's being monitered ... but I just keep re-taping footage of me sitting here watching the monitor. It's beneficial for when I want to take a walk.", he smiled, "Ok. It's done. C'mon. It's the end of my shift anyway. Let's get outta here before the military police show up."

Inuyasha and Kagome followed the man outside and into an alleyway, "We'll take the alleyways to my place. It'll be safer.", he said.

Inuyasha leaned into Kagome, "And, uh, why are we following him? He could be leading us into a trap.", he whispered.

"I don't think so.", she whispered back, "Otherwise, he could have kept us in the room until the military police showed up."

The young man turned back to them, "By the way, my name is Hideki. What's yours?"

"I'm Kagome and this is my husband, Inuyasha.", she replied.

"Wow. You're married to a demon? How did you get away with that?", Hideki asked.

"Get away with it? What do you mean?", Kagome asked back.

"Demons aren't allowed here. Any demons that show up are to be exterminated. That's why the military police will show up at the asylum.", he explained.

"Well, we were at the library for many hours and Inuyasha didn't have his ears covered there either. The librarian didn't call anybody.", said Kagome.

"The library across from Blessed Virgin Mary?", he asked.

"Yea.", Kagome responded.

"Oh, that's alright. She's one of us.", he said.

"Huh? One of who?", Kagome asked.

"We are the people who remember the original time.", he explained.

--

Back at the asylum, three miltary policemen walked in,

"Where is he, Leiko?", one of them asked.

"In room 34. With Higurashi. He had dog ears.", she told them.

She led them back to the room. When they entered, no one was there but the old man,

"They were here. I tell you they were.", Leiko insisted.

One of the policemen shook the old man, "Hey. Crazy. Where did your visitors go?"

"Visitors? I haven't had any visitors.", Higurashi told them.

"You lie, old man.", Leiko insisted, "They were here. A young girl and a demon man."

"And you call me crazy?", the old man stared into her eyes, "At least I don't see imaginary people and demons."

Leiko was obviously frustrated, "Officers. Come with me. I'll show you on the video."

The officers followed her to the small room. She played back the video from shortly before the young girl and the demon arrived. All it showed was an empty hallway, except for workers, and Higurashi's room ... without visitors,

"But, they were here. I swear it, officers.", she looked at them pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, Leiko.", said the one officer, "You know what the penalty is for a false report. I have to take you with me.", he turned her around and placed her wrists in cuffs,

"But ... but ... you have to believe me ... you have to ... they were here ... I wouldn't make a false report ... please don't take me there ... PLEASE!", she pleaded.

One of the other officers shook his head, as he watched his partner take Leiko out. He said to the other officer, "What a shame. She was a good informant too."

"Yea. But, we have alot of work to do finding these rebels claiming there's another world out there. She's obviously gone wacko herself. The firing squad is too good for her.", the other officer huffed.

--

"Original time?", Inuyasha raised his eyebrow.

"Yes. Just like your grandfather. This time isn't right. Your grandfather runs Higurashi shrine but, that's no longer there. But, you must have realized that this is wrong. I figured that out when you said you knew Higurashi-sama. His daughter-in-law and grandson don't come to visit him at all. You're the first visitors he has ever had. He would talk about a granddaughter but, his records indicated only a grandson. He kept saying you were away but, that you would be back and that you would fix everything. Everyone in the asylum just thought him a kook."

"Poor jii-chan.", Kagome sighed, "So, how is it you and my grandfather and anybody else that you know remembers this 'original time'?

"We've come to the conclusion that anyone with deep seated spiritual, mystical, or demonic powers weren't completely affected. Oh, here we are.", he unlocked the door and walked in, "Sit down.", he motioned to the couch, "Make yourselves comfortable. Do you want a drink? I have some Coca-cola and some Dr. Pepper."

"I'll take a Dr. Pepper.", Kagome said, and when she noticed Inuyasha staring at her strangely she said, "He'll have a coke."

Hideki handed them their bottles of soda and sat down with his, "Sorry for the tight quarters. That's one thing about Japan that hasn't changed.", he said with a smile.

"Kaede's hut is bigger that this.", Inuyasha commented.

"Hut?", Hideki queried.

"Yea.", said Kagome, "If you know about spirtual powers, then I guess it won't be much of a stretch for you to believe that we can time-travel."

"Time travel? Really? I mean, how? What do you use? Where do you go?", Hideki's interest piqued intensely.

"The old well on my family's property. It connects me to Feudal Japan. That's where Inuyasha is from. That's why he doesn't understand alot of what you are saying. We live very simply back there.", Kagome explained.

"COUGH COUGH!", Inuyasha almost spilled his soda, "What is this?", he choked out, "It has weird bubbles in it."

Kagome and Hideki laughed at Inuyasha's predicament, "I should have warned you not to try to drink it fast. He's never had a soda before. My mother never buys it and when I used to bring back modern food to the past, he never wanted to try it. Only ramen and potato chips.", said Kagome.

"So, you were in the past when this occured?", Hideki asked.

"Yes.", answered Kagome.

"And you remember the original time?"

"Yes, we do. Are you a priest? You said spiritually strong people can remember the original time. Are all the people that remember it priests or priestesses?", asked Kagome.

"No. Very few priests are left. Apparantly, their spiritually wasn't that strong. I have magic powers, as do most of the others.", Hideki told them.

"Magical powers?", Kagome asked.

"I'm a wizard."

"Wizards ... exist? Like Harry Potter type wizardry?" Kagome stared at him in disbelief.

Hideki laughed, "You're married to a demon and you time travel through a well and you ask ME if I'm real?"

Kagome leaned back in the couch, "True."

"Actually,", Hideki started, "J.K. Rowling is one of us. She's a witch. The Harry Potter stories? They're real. She used to attend Hogwarts. The Ministry of Magic was very concerned when she wrote those books. We try to keep ourselves away from Muggles because they don't understand."

"Muggles?", Inuyasha questioned.

"Non-magical people.", Hideki told him, "Anyway, Harry Potter was the only one everybody in the wizardry world knew ... with his battle with Voldemort and all. J.K assured the Ministry of Magic that Muggles were naive enough to not believe the stories as true. And, she was right.", he finished and took a sip of his soda.

"So, all the people in the Wizardry world remember the original time?", Kagome asked.

"Yes. But, I'm afraid that's not good enough.", he said with a sigh.

"Why is that?", asked Kagome.

"Because, with what is happening, pretty soon this world, as it is now, will become permanent. And all of us that remember the original time will disappear.", Hideki explained.

"Including my grandfather?", Kagome asked, worried.

"I'm afraid so.", Hideki frowned, "Unless something is done to destroy this time."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha and then back at Hideki, "And how would we do it?"

"I don't quite understand the dynamics of what has happened. But, my master does. Tomorrow morning we'll go to his home. He'll explain everything to you ... at least, it's his theory on what happened to this world. Maybe then you can figure something out. You can stay here for the night, if you would like. It's cramped but, it's safe."

"Ok.", agreed Kagome.

--

The next morning after breakfast, Hideki again led them through alleyways to get to their destination.

"A dojo?", Inuyasha queried.

"Yes. This is where my master resides. You know of dojos?"

"Yea. They have them in my world too.", Inuyasha told him, "The humans use it for practicing. I'm just surprised that dojos are in this world too."

"Anything that has to do with war exists. Japan's history in this new world is based entirely on military might.", Hideki informed him.

"I realized that when I was at the library.", Kagome said, as they walked in.

"Master Katsu.", Hideki called out.

And older man walked out, "Hideki? I'm surprised to see you here."

"Master Katsu, I have brought some visitors. This is Higurashi Kagome. And her husband, Inuyasha."

The older man looked at Inuyasha, who, today, had his ears covered, "You are a demon ... no ... a half-demon.", he spoke.

Inuyasha raised his eyebrow, "You can tell, can you?"

"Kagome is Higurashi-sama's granddaughter. She's highly spirtual also. She time-travels from the well on her family's shrine to Feudal Japan, which is where Inuyasha is from.", Hideki told him.

"Hmmmm. Is that so?", the older man studied the two, "Feudal Japan, you say. Are you here to assist us in returning this world to what it should be?"

"If we can, yes.", agreed Kagome.

"I told them that you would be able to explain your theory of what occurred.", Hideki told him.

"Is that so? Hmmm. Come with me. I'll tell you my theory, because I believe it started sometime in the Sengoku Jidai.", the older man said, as he walked into another room, followed by the small group, "Have a seat.", the older man directed them.

The trio sat on the pillows on the floor. A television was on behind Katsu, it's volume down low. Katsu pulled out some fabric, one red and one green,

"I believe in Quantum Mechanics. Specifically, the Many-Worlds Interpretation. In it's basic form, Many-Worlds states that every outcome of a person's life that could happen, even though in this world it didn't, happens in a parallel universe. We, technically, shouldn't see these other universes, but, some people do see glimpses of them. I believe that someone, from a parallel universe, managed to time warp into our universe. In doing so, he or she, altered our world.", he started to rip the red fabric, "This is the start of the change. It formed a time-rip in our universe, starting a whole new parallel world. As the rip increases over the years, the new world,", he laid the ripped red fabric on the floor and placed the green fabric over it, "Is slowly becoming prevalent.", he continued to rip the red fabric, stopping just short of the edge, "When this time-rip finishes tearing our universe apart, the new world will be permanent and the world that had been, will be gone forever. As will everyone who remembers it."

"So, you're saying, that when the time-rip ends, all of you, and my grandfather, will be gone?", asked Kagome.

"Yes. That is what I am saying. And, there will be nothing anybody can do to change that.", Katsu said.

"What about me and Kagome?", Inuyasha asked, "We remember the original world. Will we disappear too?"

"Maybe not.", the older man appeared lost in thought, "You can time-travel. So, you can remain in the old era. Before the time-rip destroys the original world. You both should be safe."

"Yea, but Kagome was born in the original world. Her family doesn't recognize her, which says she wasn't born in the new world ...", Inuyasha stated.

Kagome looked at him in awe. She was shocked at how much he comprehended, '_Is his dumb hanyou attitude just a facade_?', she thought.

"That may be.", said Katsu, "But, she was born before the time rip completed and went to the past before the time rip probably started. So, it is possible that the time-rip will not kill her. She is already crossing dimensions into another parallel universe. What will most likely occur is she will not be able to cross dimensions any more. Your portal will probably close."

Kagome's mind turned to the television. She stood up and went over to it. The others followed,

"Kagome?", Inuyasha called her name.

Kagome turned up the volume,

"Hideki? Who are they?"

"Them? King Charles and Queen Diana. They are the monarchs of Great Britain. That's part of the new world. Diana didn't die ... in fact, they never divorced. Queen Elizabeth died in the 80's and Charles ascended to the throne."

"That's it!", said Kagome.

"What? What's it?", Inuyasha asked.

"That accent!", she replied.

"Accent?", queried Katsu.

"Nishimura! You're right, Kagome!", said Inuyasha.

"Lord Nishimura?", Hideki asked her.

"Yes. He's the one who caused the rip. He came in and destroyed all the warlords ... especially the ones who would have aligned with Oda to unify Japan!", she told him.

"Forgive us, child, for our memory lapses. That is the first thing to start going as the rip comes closer to the edge.", Katsu told her, "We start forgetting our history and all we read is the history that is available now.

"So, you're saying that Lord Nishimura wasn't Japanese?", Hideki asked her.

"Yes. I knew he was western. He didn't look Japanese. He spoke it fluently but, he had an accent. I recognize it now. It's a British accent. That might explain why Britain and Japan are the world's superpowers instead of the United States.", she said, excitedly.

"You're right.", said Inuyasha, "Myouga says Nishimura disappears from our world from time to time. Maybe he returns to his world."

"He's controlling both worlds. He's combining them into this world.", mused Kagome.

"Hmmm.", thought Katsu, "Maybe, in his world, Great Britain is a world power. And, by fnding the portal to Feudal Japan, a time of major strife for the country, he's setting Japan up as a world power by destroying all the warlords, making him the one to unify Japan instead of Oda. By crossing between both worlds, he's actually destroying two universes and making a completely new one."

"So, we have to find Nishimura's portal and destroy it.", said Inuyasha, "If we can take Nishimura out of the puzzle ..."

"The time-rip should stop in your era.", said Hideki.

"Not so fast.", warned Katsu, "Depending on what time period Nishimura is from, the time rip may be permanent, at least for Japan, until when his era comes in. You may need to stop things in his era, first."

"This is all way too confusing.", said Kagome.

"I agree.", said Inuyasha.

"Hideki, what about my grandfather?", asked Kagome.

"I can keep an eye on him.", Hideki offered.

"There may be a way we can save your grandfather from being destroyed.", mused Katsu.

"How?", asked Kagome.

"You are highly spiritual. Your soul is spiritually strong. That is why you can time travel. Inuyasha is connected to you and that is why he can time-travel. Your grandfather is highly spirtual and he is connected to you ..."

"You think the old man can travel through the well too?", asked Inuyasha.

"Very likely, yes.", Katsu answered him.

"We've never tried it before.", said Kagome.

"It's worth a shot.", said Inuyasha, "At least he'll be safe."

"It may not save him from the fate that awaits him, though, should you fail.", warned Katsu.

"I understand.", said Kagome.

"We just won't fail.", said Inuyasha.

"Ok. Kagome. Inuyasha.", Hideki addressed them, "I'll meet you at the well tonight around midnight. I'll have your grandfather."

"Will you be able to get him out?", asked Kagome.

"Yea. Chika's on tonight on survelliance. She's one of us.", Hideki told her.

"I'll take Kagome to the well.", said Inuyasha, "And then, I'll return to the asylum. I'll wait for you there in the alleyway."

"Why? I'm capable ..."

"Because, the old man's slow and I can get him back to the well faster. Plus, it takes you out of danger."

"I agree with Inuyasha.", said Kagome, "He's a demon. He's faster."

"But, what about the police?", asked Hideki.

"I ain't worried about them."

--

After night fell, Inuyasha transported Kagome to the well. They both removed the borrowed clothes and dressed in their own outfits,

"Is that wise, Inuyasha?", Kagome asked him.

"Why?"

"Bright red ... calls attention to yourself ..."

"PFFT. Don't worry about me. I'll be on the rooftops. And, do you honestly believe that a human can catch me?"

She smiled, "No. I guess not. Before you leave, take these clothes over to next door."

"Yea. Yea. Whatever.", he kissed her, "No one's around. Now's my time to go. See ya when I get back.", he said as he left.

'_Stay safe, Inuyasha_.', she thought.

--

Hideki walked into the maintence entrance of the asylum and slowly wound his way to the video room. He quickly opened the door and went in. The girl inside was surprised,

"Hideki! Why are you here?"

"Chika, I need your help. I'm breaking Higurashi-sama out. His granddaughter is here. She's one of us. She's going to try to get her grandfather to a safe place."

"Where is this place? Do you know? Can we all go?", asked Chika.

"It's not so much a place as a time.", he told her.

"A time? The time has to be now. It won't be long until we're gone for good.", said Chika.

"No. Kagome can time-travel. She has a time portal. It's probably because of her spiritualness, since the portal is on the Higurashi family land."

"Oh.", Chika said, dejected.

Hideki pulled her into his arms, "Don't worry, Chika. Higurashi-sama's granddaughter will fix this world. I just know she can.", he looked at his watch, "I have to get Higurashi-sama. I need you to erase all evidence of my being here tonight. Is Leiko here?"

"Oh, you didn't hear? Leiko was executed by firing squad last night."

"For filing a false police report?", he asked, smiling.

"You knew about it?", Chika asked.

"Not about her being executed, no. But, I figured she called the military police. Higurashi-sama's granddaughter is married to a demon."

"She is? How is that possible?"

"Her time portal takes her to the Feudal Era. That's where he's from. I gotta go. Protect my ass, ok, Chika?"

"Sure thing.", agreed Chika.

Hideki slipped quietly out of the room and walked down the corrider leading to room 34. Making sure no one was around, he slipped inside the room,

"Higurashi-sama. Wake up.", he urged.

The old man turned over,

"Hideki!"

"Yes. I've come to take you outta here."

"Where are we going?"

"To the well on your land. Katsu believes you can travel through as well as your granddaughter and the demon."

"Kagome? Where is she?", the old man asked, sitting up.

Hideki got some clothes out of the closet,

"She's at the well. Inuyasha is going to take you there."

The man got dressed as quickly as he could,

"Come on. The coast is clear. Let's get out of here.", Hideki told him.

Hideki led him down to the maintenence hallway,

"Isn't this place bugged?", asked Higurashi.

"Chika's handling all that. Don't worry."

Hideki opened the door. As planned, Inuyasha was waiting for them,

"C'mon. We don't have time to dawdle.", Inuyasha told them, kneeling down, "Get on my back, old man. You too, Hideki."

"Why me?"

"Because if the old man doesn't make it through the well, I ain't having him sitting at the bottom and rotting away. You can bring him back here."

"Alright.", he agreed climbing on.

"Hold on tight.", Inuyasha said, as he leapt up to the top of the building.

"Demon! Let me down this instant!", cried a frightened Higurashi.

"Don't tempt me, old man. Be quiet, we don't have far to go.", ordered Inuyasha.

Inuyasha landed on a rooftop close to the well,

"All's quiet. It's safe to go.", Inuyasha told them, as he hopped to the ground beside the well house. He kneeled to let them off,

"Kagome's inside.", Inuyasha informed them.

Inuyasha opened the well house door,

"Inuyasha?", came a quiet voice.

"It's me, Kagome. It's alright. Hideki and your grandfather are with me."

Kagome came forward, "Hideki? Why's he here?"

"In case your grandfather can't go through the well. This way he isn't alone.", Inuyasha explained to her.

She hugged him tightly, "Thank you for thinking that far ahead, Inuyasha."

"Bah! What was I gonna do? Let the old man rot? I'd never hear the end of it. Alright, old man, get on my back again.", he said, kneeling down.

"Kagome?", her grandfather looked at her,

"It's okay, jii-chan. Trust me.", she said.

The old man climbed onto Inuyasha's back. Inuyasha then wrapped his arm around Kagome's waist and hopped onto the lip of the well,

"Ready?"

"Yup.", answered Kagome, "Bye for now, Hideki!", she said, as Inuyasha jumped into the well.

Hideki watched in fascination as the blue light swallowed them up,

"Good luck, you guys. Please save us."


	12. The Portal

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Twelve

The Portal

Inuyasha hopped out of the well,

"Well, old man, you made it through.", he said, as he knelt to let the man off his back.

"Welcome to Feudal Japan, Grandpa.", said Kagome.

Her grandfather looked all around,

"It's amazing. This is where our shrine will be?"

"Yup.", answered Kagome, "This is how it was before Tokyo was created."

"Amazing. Simply amazing.", he kept repeating.

"Well, old man, you can keep admiring everything on our way back to the town.", Inuyasha said, "I'll take both of you on my back."

"Are you going to jump like a madman again, demon?"

Inuyasha sighed, "Old man!"

"Jii-chan, it's alright. I ride on Inuyasha's back all the time. He's never dropped me.", Kagome assured him.

"Get on.", Inuyasha commanded them.

Kagome helped her grandfather onto his back before getting on herself,

"We're ready.", she said.

Inuyasha sped off and jumped high into the trees, jumping from tree to tree,

"Kagome, I thought you said the village was near the well.", her grandfather asked.

"That village was destroyed by the man causing this problem. We're staying at an old Heian era town where Inuyasha was born."

"Heian era? Are you saying Inuyasha was born in the Heian era?", asked jii-chan.

"Yes, he was.", she told him.

"But, that's over 700 years ago.", jii-chan replied.

"Well, from this time, it's a little over 200 years, but, yes, Inuyasha is over 200 years old. Demons age slower than humans.", she advised him.

"Amazing. Simply amazing.", jii-chan repeated again.

To this Kagome giggled and Inuyasha groaned. They landed softly inside the old town. They weren't on the ground 5 minutes before three children ran up to them, screaming,

"Mama! Daddy!"

Kai and Shinta jumped onto Inuyasha as the slowest one, Izayoi, reached up to her mother to be lifted. Jii-chan stared,

"Mama? Daddy?", he asked.

"Yes, jii-chan. These are your great-grandchildren. This little girl is Izayoi. She's 4. And Inuyasha is holding Shinta and Kai. Shinta is 8 and Kai is 7. The littlest one is Shiori. She's about 8 months old.", Kagome informed him, "Kids, this is my grandfather. Your great-grandfather. You can call him jii-chan.", she told the kids,

"Are you from the future like mommy?", asked Kai.

Jii-chan laughed, "Why, yes I am. Would you like to hear some stories?"

"Yea!", shouted Kai.

"Sure.", said Shinta.

"Otay.", said Izayoi.

"C'mon, kids. Let's show jii-chan where we live, ok?", Kagome said to them.

The kids readily agreed and jumped down to take jii-chan's hand,

"C'mon jii-chan, we'll show you where we live.", said Shinta, "And, Shiori is there with Shippou."

Kagome smiled as the three started pulling their great-grandfather in the direction of their home. Inuyasha just huffed,

"Good. They can keep him busy for a while."

"I'm surprised they're up so early.", Kagome mused.

"Actually, they've barely slept while you two were gone.", said Miroku, walking up behind them and rubbing his eyes.

"Hey there, Miroku.", said Inuyasha, "So, I guess you didn't care for dealing with 4 half-demons, didja?"

"Two days with 4 half-demons was like a year with you, Inuyasha.", Miroku commented, wryly, "So, who was that man?"

"That was my grandfather, Miroku.", Kagome answered him, "We found out that my grandfather and some other people remember the way the world was before Nishimura changed it."

"And he was able to get through the well?", Miroku queried.

"Duh!", said Inuyasha, his arms crossed, "Can we take this conversation inside? My stomach wants food!", he complained.

Miroku smiled at his friend's complaint, "Sure. Sango's cooking breakfast now. She left Shippou with Shiori because she was sleeping."

"Inuyasha, let's get jii-chan and the pups and go get breakfast.", suggested Kagome.

"Yea, ok.", agreed Inuyasha, "We'll see you back at your hut, Miroku."

"Sure thing.", Miroku acknowledged, as he walked away.

--

They group sat down to a huge breakfast feast. Kagome and Inuyasha told everyone what had happened in the modern era,

"So, what we need to do is find Nishimura's portal. We may need to enter it and see where he's from.", explained Kagome, "We may have to set things right there."

"How would we do that, I wonder?", inquired Inuyasha.

"Actually, I've been thinking. Hideki said that the stories of Harry Potter are real. That a wizarding world actually exists. In one of the stories, Hermione Granger uses an item called a Tme Turner ... to turn back time. Maybe, we can locate Hogwarts in Nishimura's era and talk to a wizard. Maybe we can get a Time Turner to use.", Kagome suggested.

"Will this Hogwarts place be there in Nushimura's era?", asked Sango.

"Judging by his weapons, I'd wager he's from the late 19th century. Hogwarts, according to the stories, was formed a thousand years ago.", Kagome informed them.

"So, yes, we should be able to get to Hogwarts, right?", asked Inuyasha.

"Weeeell, that's the one part that will be hard.", Kagome said, twisting a towel in her hand.

"Whaddya mean 'hard'?", Inuyasha looked at her.

"What I mean is, according to the stories, Hogwarts is hidden with a magic spell so Muggles can't see it.", she explained.

"Muggles?", Sango, Miroku, Kaede, and Shippou chorused together.

"Non-magical people.", Inuyasha explained.

"Oh, of course.", said Shippou, "I knew that."

**BONK!**

"Ow Ow Ow Kagome! Inuyasha hit me!", Shippou complained.

"I'm sorry, Shippou. I'm afraid you deserved that.", Kagome told him.

"Ok, so how do we go about finding this place if it's hidden from muggles?", Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome.

"Kagome has the sight. Maybe she will be able to see it.", suggested Kaede.

"Possibly.", Kagome said, "I don't really know. I'll have to see when I get there."

"Greaat!, Inuyasha groaned as Kagome shrugged her shoulders.

--

A couple days later, Myouga showed up, landing on Inuyasha's cheek and promptly getting slapped,

"So, Myouga, whaddya got for us? Any sign of Kohaku yet?", Inuyasha asked him.

"Not yet, sire. I'm still searching.", the flea told him.

"By the way, do you happen to know where Nishimura's portal is?"

"Hmmm. No I don't, as a matter of fact.", replied his vassal.

"What the hell good are ya?", Inuyasha bitched to him, "Well, listen, I need you to stay with Nishimura at all times. We need to know where his portal is."

"Why, Master Inuyasha?"

"Because Kagome and me need to find it and travel through it, that's why."

"Huh? Why do you need to do that, Master?"

"Because we need to find out more about Nishimura. Now stop asking questions and get moving!", Inuyasha picked up his retainer and threw him far away.

Inuyasha walked into his house. He saw Kagome sitting with Sango. Shiori was asleep on a blanket beside her mother,

"Where's the old man?", Inuyasha wondered.

"With Kaede and a few other elderly people. Why?", answered Kagome.

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders, "No reason. I was thinking. I want to check out Nishimura's castle some more before we go through the portal."

"Do you know where the portal is?", asked Sango excitedly.

"Not yet. But, I just saw Myouga and I sent him to follow Nishimura and find the portal. In the meantime, I'd like to explore his castle."

"Mind if I come along?", Miroku asked, as he walked in the front door, "Sorry for not knocking, but, I heard your conversation."

"S'alright.", Inuyasha said, "Sure. I wouldn't mind the company."

"Can I tag along too, Inuyasha?", asked Kagome.

Inuyasha looked at his wife. He was about to say 'no', but, he could tell by her expression, that it would only start an argument. He sighed,

"Whatever. We'll leave tomorrow morning."

--

Jaken and Rin stood a fair distance away as Sesshoumaru fought his latest battle. Jaken was very concerned because he knew that his demonic powers were waning. He could only assume that his lord's were as well,

"Bakusaiga's not doing anything, Master Jaken.", spoke a worried Rin.

"No. It seems all that Lord Sesshoumaru can do is battle them in a true sword fight.", agreed Jaken, thinking, '_Whenever he tries to use his vine-whip or another demonic attack, it's evident his strength diminishes_.'

As the pair continued to watch, Rin began to realize that Sesshoumaru was weakening,

'_We must get him back to demonic grounds so he can recover_.', she thought.

Her heart raced as she watched her lord kill some of the humans, their blood staining the ground. She realized that Sesshoumaru was moving slowly backwards, trying to get closer to the energy given off by the demonic grounds,

"LORD SESSHOUMARU!", she screamed, as another soldier came up from behind him and managed to get a slice in on his legs. Fatigued by the drain on his powers, Sesshoumaru fell to the ground on his knees,

"Now it's time for your death, demon.", one soldier said.

As he lifted his sword to finish off the weakened demon, Sesshoumaru felt blood splash on his face. He lifted up his head and was surprised to see the human with a sword sticking out of his chest. What surprised him even more, was the wielder of the sword,

"Rin!", he spoke, weakly.

Rin pulled out the sword and brandished it,

"I know how to use this! I was taught well! If anyone else wants to join him in death, just try me!", she told them.

Quick as lightning, she swung around and hit a soldier behind her, killing him,

"Try to sneak up on me, will you! HA! That'll be the day.", she laughed.

A couple of soldiers teased, "Looky here, the little girl wants to fight."

"Yea, let's show her who's boss here."

"Rin!", urged Sesshoumaru, "Get out of here."

"No! I won't back down. Kohaku taught me how to handle a horde of demons. Humans are just that much easier.", she said, as she began swinging and thrusting the fallen soldier's sword.

The soldiers were shocked when she easily slew 20 of their comrades. A few decided they may have bit off more than they could chew,

"RETREAT!", one of them called out and the others listened.

As soon as they were out of sight, Rin turned her attention to Sesshoumaru,

"Master Jaken, get Ah-Un. Lord Sesshoumaru must get back to the demon grounds to regain his strength."

Sesshoumaru stared at the girl. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed,

'_When had she become so strong_?', he thought, '_And, when did she grow up so much_?'

"My lord, I wish I could accompany you to the demon grounds.", Rin told him.

"I'll be fine, Rin. Just find a place to relax until I can come for you.", he told her.

She smiled, "Sure. I'll wait for you just beyond the demonic grounds.", she told him.

Ah-Un landed, "My lord!", called Jaken.

Sesshoumaru got up on Ah-Un, "Take care of Rin, Jaken.", he said before Ah-Un flew off.

Rin follwed then in the sky until she could no longer see them,

'_Take care, my lord_.', she thought, her heart racing wildly.

--

Kohaku found some time late one night to visit Nara and her mother. Along the way, he came upon a thicket with a couple of bucks. He killed one to take to the women. He also picked some pretty tiger lilies for Nara. Arriving at the old town, he saw the one hut that Nara had fixed up. He lightly rapped on the wall,

"Nara? Are you awake? It's Kohaku."

Nara opened the reed door, "Kohaku! I'm so glad to see you!", she gushed, wrapping her arms around him.

"I've got a buck here for you.", he told her, as she pulled away, "Where do you want me to take it?"

"There's a hut behind here that we put all the game in. I'm so glad you thought of us. Thank you for the meat, Kohaku."

"Oh, these are for you.", he said, pulling the flowers out from behind him. Nara's eyes lit up,

"Kohaku! They're beautiful!", she said, as she took the bouquet. She buried her nose into the petals,

"Let me take this around to the hut.", Kohaku said.

Kohaku returned and found Nara sitting on the ground. He sat beside her,

"How have you been?", he asked.

"Pretty good. We're very grateful for what you did. We know you risked great harm doing what you did."

"It's ok. I've managed to stay one step ahead of my commanding officers. They're pretty stupid anyway."

They talked for a while more before Kohaku told her he had to get back. She threw her arms around him,

"Never forget me, Kohaku.", she whispered, before placing a kiss on his lips.

He kissed her back, deeply and passionately. But, his mind wandered,

'_Oh, Rin. What am I to do_?'

--

Inuyasha, Miroku and Kagome raced to the castle. Inuyasha sniffed the air,

"There's even less people than the last time.", he told his companions.

He knelt down to allow Miroku to get on his back with Kagome. Leaping from a tall tree, Inuyasha entered a room,

"No guards.", he told them, "And Nishimura's not here either."

They began searching rooms. Most rooms were empty. A couple of rooms they came upon had people in them. Prisoners, tied up,

"Why are you here?", asked Kagome.

"We are here awaiting execution when the lord returns.", they all replied to her.

Inuyasha began slicing their bonds,

"Good People. Follow me to a back room. We'll get you away from here.", Miroku told them, leading them away.

"That explains where the people are all going.", said Inuyasha, "He's killing the ones who can't fight for him."

"How horrible.", Kagome said softly.

Walking into another room, they stopped and stared. Inuyasha took a closer look,

"What the hell are these devices? Do you know, Kagome?"

Kagome couldn't drag her eyes away,

"They're torture devices, Inuyasha. From Europe's Middle Ages ... basically this time just in Europe. That one is the rack ... and, that one, I believe is called the Iron Maiden. I'm not sure what the others are called."

"How do they work?", Inuyasha asked, mainly to himself.

Kagome explained what she could remember to Inuyasha. The half-demon shook his head,

"I'll never get over the ways humans decide to hurt each other."

"Man's inhumanity to man.", Kagome said softly.

"Kagome.", Inuyasha spoke softly, "We have to go. Nishimura just rode up"

He grabbed her hand and they walked quickly to the back room,

"Okay people,", Inuyasha announced, "We don't have much time. I'll carry as many of you on my back as I can and get you to safety. Miroku, how many do we have?"

"17, Inuyasha.", Miroku told him.

"Ok. Let's get going.", Inuyasha said.

Miroku and Sango helped 5 people get on Inuyasha's back. He leapt away and soon returned. This happened two more times. When he returned, there were just two more people left plus Kagome and Miroku,

"Let's go.", Inuyasha urged.

Landing on the ground outside of the castle town's walls, Kagome instructed them,

"We'll lead you to our town. It's hidden and safe.", she told them.

Arriving back at the town at mid-afternoon, the other refugees made the newcomers feel welcome. Kagome, Inuyasha and Miroku were about to get out of the heat and have lunch when Myouga showed up,

"Sire. I have the whereabouts of the portal."

"Where is it Myouga?", asked Miroku.

"It's north of Nishimura's castle town. Its entrance is an old tree."

"Whaddya think we should do Inuyasha?", asked Kagome.

"It's too late to do anything today. We'll head out at first light.", Inuyasha told her, "Myouga, stay around here. You're taking us to this portal."

"Yes, my lord.", Myouga bowed.

--

The sun had barely cracked the surface of the horizon when Inuyasha and Kagome set out with Myouga. Miroku met them at the edge of town,

"You wanna come, monk?", Inuyasha asked him.

"If you don't mind.", Miroku answered him.

Inuyasha just shrugged his shoulders and knelt down,

"Hop on. I ain't takin' all fucking day to get there."

Inuyasha hopped away with the three passengers. Myouga directed him,

"There it is, master.", he pointed out to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha landed beside the tree,

"Looks like an ordinary tree.", he mused.

"And the well looks like an ordinary old well.", Miroku reminded him.

Inuyasha ignored his comment, "How does it work, Myouga?"

"Nishimura just walks right into it.", Myouga explained.

"Let's find out.", said Kagome, as she walked towards the trunk of the tree. Instead of hitting the trunk, a light appeared, engulfing her.

"Ok. I guess I'm next.", said Inuyasha. He walked towards the trunk and ...

**WHAM!**

Inuyasha fell backwards on his butt,

"What the hell?", he said, rubbing his temple, "Why didn't it work?"

Miroku stared at the tree, "Maybe you have to be spiritual or something to work it."

"PFFT! Yea! Like Nishimura is spiritual.", Inuyasha scoffed.

"Either way, it looks like it won't let you through.", Miroku told him.

"I don't want Kagome alone where ever this portal goes. Miroku, if I can't get through, then you try it.", Inuyasha said.

"Ok. If I can get through, I promise you, Inuyasha, that I'll protect Kagome with my very life.", Miroku told him.

"I'll hold you to that, monk. Now go."

--

Kagome looked around, "Where am I? That portal led to an alleyway ... but an alleyway to where? And where is Inuyasha?", she turned and stared back at the wall she had emerged from.

As if in answer to her question, she saw the wall shimmer. A second later, Miroku came through and stopped beside her,

"Kagome!", he said, relieved.

"Miroku. Why are you here? Where'e Inuyasha?", she asked.

"The portal won't let him through. I'm figuring it's because of his demonic powers.", he answered her, "So, where are we?"

"I don't know yet. Let's head out to the street.", Kagome said.

The two walked up to the end of the alley. Kagome stared at the clothes,

'_Victorian_?', she thought.

Amidst stares, they started walking down the street,

"Kagome, what language are they speaking? I don't understand what they're saying.", Miroku whispered to her.

"It's an old form of English. I know modern english, but, I can understand enough of it to know what they are saying.", she told him.

Kagome stopped. Up ahead of her, she saw a small building. A boy stood beside it, yelling,

"PAPERS! GET YER PAPERS 'ERE!"

Kagome walked up to the boy. In her best english, she asked him,

"May I look at one, please?"

He handed her one, "Where ye from, miss? Ye have a strange accent."

"I am from a country far away. A country called Japan.", she informed him.

"Ah. That tis a long way away. Ye traveled a long time, eh miss?"

"Uh, yes, I did.", she smiled at him.

"I'll tell ye what I'll do. Since ye came from so far away and because ye are so pretty, I'll let ye 'ave that copy fer free.", the young boy told her.

"Thank you so very much.", she told him, before turning to Miroku, "Let's go back to the alley."

Heading back around to the rear of the alley, Kagome opened the paper,

"This is the London Times. It's dated April 6, 1860! Miroku, Nishimura is from 1860's England!", she said to him, amazed.

--

_A/N: Chapter 13 will be up by Saturday evening. Thank you for all the reviews! I love every one of you. See ya soon!_


	13. Hogwarts Revisited

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Thirteen

Hogwarts Revisited

"Miroku, we're in 1860's London.", Kagome repeated.

"Where is ... London?", Miroku asked her, perplexed.

"It's in a country called England or Great Britain. We not only transcended time ... but space as well. We're no longer in Japan. I mean, I suspected Nishimura's portal to take us to England, but, I'm still shocked."

"Ok. So what do we do now? How do we find that Hogwarts place.", he asked her.

"Hmm. Let me think. We only have carriages here so that magic bus thingy is out of the question ... not that it matters ... only wizards and witches can see it.", she mused while Miroku just stared at her with a strange look, not comprehending what she was saying,

"That magic ... bus thing ... is that something from your era?"

"Hmm? Oh, yea, it is. We need to find Diagon Alley. If we can find that, we can find the wizards and witches."

Something caught Kagome's attention. She lifted her hands,

"My powers ... I have them.", she said, in awe, "I can use them here. If we can find The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley, I might be able to convince them I'm a witch."

"What is Diagon Alley?", Miroku asked, completely lost at Kagome's words.

"It's a wizarding place. The Leaky Cauldron is the entrance to the wizarding world, if I remember correctly.", she told him, then spoke to herself again, "I wonder how long wizards and witches live? I don't remember reading that in any of the books. Maybe if Dumbledore was around or even Hagrid, yea, Hagrid was younger than Dumbledore, and he's a half-giant ..."

"A ... half-giant? What's that?", asked Miroku again.

"Like Inuyasha is a half-demon. Not a full breed giant. And, also like Inuyasha, Hagrid's brother is a full giant ... but unlike Sesshoumaru ... Hagrid's brother, oh, heck, I forgot his name, anyway, he's a dimwit. Totally clueless.", she explained.

"Is this Hagrid person nice?", Miroku asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, he is. I mean, I've never met the guy, but he's a big, lovable oaf in the books."

Miroku breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. I wasn't sure if my spiritual powers could deal with a wizard."

"Well, Hagrid isn't technically a wizard. I mean, he has magical powers but, he's not supposed to use them. He kinda got expelled from the school ... he was set up by the kid who would become Voldemort, their arch enemy. Professor Dumbledore knew this, but, couldn't prove it and so he didn't take Hagrid's wand away. Now, Hagrid only uses his magic on Dumbledore's command ... that doesn't matter anymore because Dumbledore's dead ..."

Miroku eyes were spinning, "Ok, Kagome, whatever."

Kagome laughed, "I'm sorry, Miroku. I guess I babbled on too much. The Harry Potter series is extremely popular in my era. It has transfixed kids all over the world. To find out the places and people are real ... it's ... just amazing."

"Well, let's get on with our mission. We don't want to be standing here in case Nishimura comes through.", he told her.

"True. Let's go.", Kagome said, as she walked out to the street.

She looked left and then right. Finally, she turned right. Miroku followed,

"Uh, Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know where you're going?"

"Absolutely not. I've never been here before, so how would I know where I'm going?"

"Just wondering."

"I'm looking for something."

"What's that?", said Miroku.

"I don't really know. I just know that when I see it, I'll know what it is."

"That's comforting. Is Hogwarts in London?"

"No. It's far away. They get there by trai ... crap! This is the 1860's ... there's no such thing as trains.", she said.

Miroku just shook his head. He decided he was tired of trying to understand what she was talking about. As they walked, the sky clouded over and rain began to fall,

"Isn't that just like London.", Kagome groaned, "Always raining and foggy."

"If you've never been here, then how do you know how the weather is going to be, Kagome?"

"Oh, London is famous for it. Even in my time. I swear, if it remains sunny for too long, Londoners start wondering what they did to anger the gods.", she joked.

"They believe in multiple gods too?"

"No, it was a joke. Old London, if I recall, was very monotheistic. The city of Rome called the shots until Queen Elizabeth was on the throne. She managed to break away from the Church of Rome and form the Church of England. The highly religious people in Rome tried to have her assasinated for high treason or heresy or something like that.", she said with a flourish of her hand.

The pair walked throughout London all day. They were growing tired, thirsty and hungry. Miroku had money on his person, but Kagome highly doubted that old Japanese currency would help the matter. That is, until her eyes lit upon a sign,

"ANTIQUITIES AND OTHER STUFFS", The sign read. Grabbing Miroku's hand, she said,

"It just might work!"

"What might work?", Miroku queried.

"Just stay close. You'll see."

They entered the building. Inside, an elderly man eyed them suspiciously,

"Can I help ye?", he asked.

Kagome took a deep breath,

"Yes. My friend and I are from Japan. I'm wondering if some old Japanese coins would be worth anything?"

"Hmmm.", the man puton his spectacles, "Lemme see what ye got."

She turned to Miroku, "Give me the money."

Miroku didn't question, he just followed along, and gave Kagome the silver sack he kept his money in. She handed it to the shopkeeper. He opened it up and laid the coins on the counter,

"These are in excellent condition. My, they look like they were just made yesterday. These are from the Feudal Era of Japan, am I correct?"

Kagome nodded.

"Hmmm. Ye have over 200 pieces here. These are very, very rare. Are ye truly willing to part with them?"

Kagome nodded again, "Yes. I am. I have plenty more where they came from."

The man's interest piqued, "Ye do? Would ye be willing to part with them as well?"

"I wouldn't mind, no. But, they're back in Japan.", she responded.

"Pity. Antiquities from the Orient are so popular right now.", he said, sadly, "Perhaps, if you should return to our fair country, miss?"

"I will definately look you up. So, what are you willing to give me for these?", Kagome asked.

"I will offer ye 1000 pounds, my dear girl.", he offered, "That is way more than fair. I offer ye such a high price in the hopes the ye remember me should ye return to England in the future."

"Sold!", Kagome said, holding out her hand to shake his. The shopkeeper turned her hand over and kissed the back of it gently,

"May I know ye name, miss? A foreign beauty such as ye self must have an equally beautiful name.", he said, as he counted out the bills.

"My name is Kagome Higurashi, sir.", she said, trying to sound high-class.

"Kagome. Yes, that is a beautiful name. My name is Edwin Covington, miss. Here ye are. 1000 pounds."

Kagome bowed and took the money,

"Thank you. I appreciate all your help and time."

"Ye are quite welcomed, Miss Kagome."

Kagome turned and walked out the door, Miroku in tow,

"So, is that alot of money?", he asked.

"Pfft. I don't know. I know nothing about British currency. If it's not, we just make do. Let's go get some food."

They found a quiet little restaurant that had a small open area for eating, covered by large umbrellas. Kagome looked over the menu and made suggestions to Miroku. She ordered a fried grouper sandwich and "chips" and Miroku ordered the fish and chip platter. After eating and paying for their meal and drink, the pair headed out again. Miroku could tell by the sun that is was mid-afternoon,

"Kagome, what should we do? We're very far from the alleyway. To turn back now and try to retrace our steps tomorrow would be difficult ..."

He realized that Kagome had stopped, her mouth agape. Miroku followed her stare but, saw nothing, "Kagome?", he queried.

"There it is!", she spoke.

"There is what? I don't see anything."

"The entrance to Diagon Alley and the wizarding world.", she spoke in hushed tones.

"Where?", Miroku looked all around, "Can you see something I can't Kagome?"

"I just saw a man walk through that wall. He was wearing a cape just like the wizards do in the books. Let's go."

Kagome started walking towards an old, rundown building. The door was boarded up. Taking Miroku's hand, she calmly walked through the wall. She made it through and she was surprised when she realized that Miroku was still with her,

"I see you made it through, as well.", she said.

She then realized they were being stared at,

"Who the 'ell are ye?", spoke the bartender.

Kagome calmed herself as she started to speak, "Me? I'm a witch from Japan. I have to be to find my way here, don't I?'

The people sitting at the tables and the bartender nodded slowly, but, still suspicious,

"Are ye a proper witch?", asked a patron.

"And what about 'im?", asked another.

"Him? He's a harmless muggle. He's a good friend of mine. And, what do you mean, a "proper" witch?", she asked.

"Did ye go to a wizarding school and be properly trained?", asked the bartender.

"School?", she squeaked out, "Uh, yes, I went to the ...", '_Think, girl, think_.' "Naganuma School of Wizardry.", '_Keep it going, girl, they're falling for it_.'

A man approached her from the back of the room. He announced to everybody,

"It's ok, everyone. This young lady and her friend are with me.", he said, then turned to Kagome and Miroku, and in perfect Japanese, said, "Why don't we go and take a seat out in Diagon Alley. They have the best ice cream shops there."

Kagome wasn't sure what to think, but, she and Miroku followed the man anyway. As the man came to a brick wall, he pushed bricks in, what seemed to Kagome, a specific order, '_That's right. Hagrid did that in the first book_.', she thought to herself.

They followed the man down the street, with Kagome staring at all the sights that she had read in the books. The man took a seat at a table outside the sweet shoppe. Kagome and Miroku followed suit. The man ordered ice cream sundaes for each of them. While waiting for their order, the man started speaking,

"My name is John Wetherby. I am from a full-blood wizard family. And, I believe the school in Japan ye were trying to refer to was the Tokuyama School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Good try, though, at faking them out.", he smiled.

"So, you knew all along I was fake?", Kagome asked, sheepishly.

"Hmm. No, ye are evidently not a fake. Somehow, ye came through the entrance to The Leaky Cauldron. Ye must have some special power to be able to do that. And him, he's a muggle. He came through because he was with you. What are ye names, anyway?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. My name is Kagome Higurashi and he is Miroku. He doesn't speak english."

"I believe in your land, the family name comes first, correct?", he spoke in Japanese, as the frosty desserts were placed in front of them.

Miroku tenatively took a bite and pulled back, surprised, "It's cold.", he said to Kagome.

Wetherby looked at Miroku, strangely, "They don't have ice cream in Japan?",

"Uh, not where Miroku comes from.", Kagome answered, quickly, "And, yes, the family name does come first."

"So, Higurashi, why did ye come to The Leaky Cauldron all the way from Japan?", Wetherby asked her.

"Actually, I'm looking for some information on somebody. I figured Hogwarts might be a place to ask around."

"Information? From Hogwarts? I am curious ... since ye did not attend the Japanese school ... how do ye know of Hogwarts? And The Leaky Cauldron?"

"Uhm ... you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you.", she smiled.

"Try me.", Wetherby said.

"Maybe I'll let you know after we find out what we need to know. Is Hagrid or Albus Dumbledore around here?", she asked.

"I don't know any Hagrid but, how do ye know about Dumbledore?", he asked her.

"Same way I knew about Hogwarts. But, that's for another day. I need to get to Hogwarts. How would we go about getting there?"

"Well, before we explore that, who do you need to find information out about?", asked Wetherby.

"Well, I only know his name in Japan. It's Nishimura. But, he has an english accent even though he speaks Japanese fluently.", she told him.

Wetherby's interest grew, "Can ye describe this Nishimura guy?"

Kagome and Miroku put together a mental picture for Wetherby. He got up and picked up a paper on the counter and opened it up. He then brought it over to Kagome and Miroku,

"Is this man Nishimura?", he asked.

Kagome took the paper and she and Miroku stared at the picture,

"Yes, that's him. This says his name is Tennyson Malfoy ... Malfoy ... Malfoy ... no .. it can't be ...", Kagome started to mutter.

"If that's Nishimura ...", Wetherby sighed, "Ye have a real dilemma on your hands. Malfoy is from a full blood wizard family. But, he tried to take over the wizarding world. When we tried to banish him to Azkaban for using the unforgivable Killing Curse on another wizard, Malfoy disappeared before the dementors arrived. We discovered he had left the wizard world and joined up with muggles. He actually joined their army, the fool. He worked his way up to Colonel. Even though he had left the magic world, he still used magic to get his way. He eventually killed a soldier under him. The muggles were going to execute him for treason. We had tried many times to get him out of the muggle environment, to no avail. Then, he just disappeared from England all together. After a while, he started to return. But, something strange was happening. Only the wizards and witches recognized him. The muggles didn't seem to recognize him. We didn't understand why. Now he's managing to stir up riots. He wants England to go to war with the States. Apparantly, there's alot of unrest over there regarding slavery that's tearing the Union apart. He's convincing muggles that we need to send troops over to squash the rebellion and retake the States as our colonies. But, ye are saying that this man went to Japan? That's impossible. Somedays, he's only gone for a day or two. That's clearly not enough time to get to Japan ..."

"Yes, he can.", said Miroku, "See, we traveled here through a portal that connects this world of 1860 England to early 1500 Japan. That's how Nishimura is traveling back and forth."

Wetherby covered his mouth with his hand, "A time portal? Really? That's ... fascinating. We do need to get Malfoy back. His sentence now is the Dementor's Kiss. That is the price he must pay for what he has done to humanity."

"Apparantly, he's changed time enough to carry on with his purpose.", said Kagome, "I think a Time Turner would be most helpful in this situation."

"Ye do know alot about the wizarding world. Why do ye feel ye need a Time Turner?"

"Because we need to go back to before Nishimura started using the portal so he can be executed properly before he changes any timelines."

"But, if ye are from 1500's Japan ... how do ye know of any time changes?"

"Because I am not from Medieval Japan. Miroku is, but, I'm not. I time travel through another portal that takes me to the Japan of my era, in the late 1900's."

"Ye ... are from the future? Is that how ye know about Hogwarts and Dumbledore?"

"Something like that, yes. Anyway, my era has changed because of Nishimura ... I need to reset the future."

"Then we must hurry. We'll take a carriage ride to Hogwarts. We won't get there until the morrow. Let's hurry and charter a carriage."

Wetherby left the pair at the sweet shoppe as he went to get a carriage. He came back shortly and said to them,

"We have a carriage to Hogwarts. Let's hurry, shall we?"

Miroku and Kagome followed Wetherby's lead. When they saw the carriage, Kagome's eyes lit up and Miroku just stared,

"What the hell are those things?", Miroku asked.

"Thestrals!", Kagome said, "Incredible!"

"Ye can see them?", Wetherby asked, "Even him?", he said surprised.

"Yes.", said Kagome, "We have seen lots of death, I'm afraid."

"I am not too surprised that ye could see them, Kagome. I am surprised that he can see them, considering he's a muggle.", Wetherby spoke, '_He must have some special power. He is not an ordinary muggle_.', he thought.

"What are those things? They look like dead horses but, they're moving!", an amazed Miroku stated.

"I will explain it to ye on the way to Hogsmead.", Wetherby told him.

They sat in the carriage and the thestrals began moving. After Wetherby explained about thestrals to Miroku, the rest of the journey to Hogsmead was spent chatting and resting. It was early the next morning when they arrived,

"We'll have to take a boat across Black Lake. The hippogriffs aren't awake this early in the morning and, believe me, ye don't want to disturb a resting hippogriff.",Wetherby said.

Miroku looked at Kagome, "Hippogriffe?"

"It's a creature that is part eagle and part horse. They can fly but, they have to be approached in a certain way. If they decide they don't like you, you can get a nasty bite or even be killed, if I recall."

"There's our boat. Let's carry on, shall we?", Wetherby spoke.

They got in and the boatmaster glided the boat over the dark waters of Black Lake. Kagome was enchanted to see the Harry Potter books come alive. Miroku shivered. The whole area felt creepy to him. The boat docked and they three disembarked. As they approached the old castle, Kagome's eyes grew wider. She felt like a kid in a candy store. She thought to herself,

'_Rowling described it perfectly. It's exactly how it's depicted in the book_.'

A man, who appeared to be about 30, exited the castle. Even without the beard, Kagome knew him instantly,

"Albus Dumbledore.", she spoke, almost reverently.

He approached the trio, "Ahh, Wetherby, who do we have here?"

"Albus, allow me to introduce Miss Higurashi and her friend Miroku, from Japan. Miroku doesn't speak any english, so Miss Higurashi or myself will have to translate."

Dumbledore looked at the two friends, "He is dressed like a monk. Ye have come to Hogwarts from Tokuyama? We have never had visitors from the Japanese school before. Come in, please, and make yourself at home."

They entered the castle and Wetherby explained to Dumbledore how they came upon England and that, even though Miroku was a muggle, he was still able to see the thestrals. Dumbledore was amazed by their story. As they sat down in an empty classroom, Wetherby also explained that they had information about Tennyson Malfoy. This information really intrigued him,

"So, ye need assistance with getting Malfoy or, as ye know him, Nishimura to be returned to his rightful place? I believe we can definately help ye.", Dumbledore told them.

--

Inuyasha paced nervously by the tree. He had spent a sleepless night worrying about Kagome (and Miroku, though he wouldn't admit that.). His ears perked up,

"Who is that Myouga?", he said softly.

"Hide, Master Inuyasha. It is Nishimura. Until Kagome and Miroku return you don't want to face him.", the flea spoke nervously.

"I agree.", Inuyasha said, jumping high into a tree. He watched, unnerved, as Nishimura approached, changed into a strange outfit, and walk into the portal and disappear.

'_Dammit Kagome! You had better be alright. Miroku, you promised me_.'

--

_A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting. I had to constantly check Google to make sure things were accurate for 1860's London as well as constantly pick my 19 year old son's brain about Harry Potter. I've read the books but he is the encyclopedia of Harry Potter! Enjoy! See ya soon!_


	14. The Final Countdown

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Fourteen

The Final Countdown

The four sat around the table in Dumbledore's office. A small elf entered the room with a tray of food and drinks,

"Ahh, Winky. Thank ye so very much.", Dumbledore acknowledged the small elf. Kagome's eyes widened,

"So that's Winky.", she said, softly.

Dumbledore smiled at the young girl and lifted up a mug to her,

"Have ye ever had the chance to try Butterbeer?", he asked his guests.

Kagome smiled wide as she gratefully took the mug, "No, I haven't. I would love to try it.", she said, lifting the mug to her lips, "Mmmm. Delicious."

Miroku sniffed the drink before taking a sip. He held up the mug, "Amazing drink.", he spoke in Japanese as he analyzed the glass.

Kagome smiled, "Miroku says he likes it, too.", she told Dumbledore.

"Ahh.", said Dumbledore, "Lady Kagome, please, I am very interested in thy story. Since ye do not come from the Japanese school, how is it ye know of the wizarding world?"

"I cannot reveal too much, Professor, but, I will tell you that someday you will meet a young witch named Joanne and she will be amazing.", revealed Kagome.

Dumbledore rubbed his chin, "Hmmm. Really. And, ye travel from what ye call the "modern age" to Medievel Japan?"

"That's right, yes.", Kagome agreed, between bites of her sandwich.

"And, ye are wed to a 'demon'? What is this demon like? Is he mean?"

"Oh no. Not at all. Inuyasha is a bit rough around the edges but, he's not mean. Actually, he has a heart of gold. But, he's not a full-blooded demon - his mother was human and his father was a full-fledged demon. Inuyasha is a half-demon."

"Fascinating.", Dumbledore said, quietly.

"Inu? Isn't that Japanese for 'dog'?", questioned Wetherby.

"Yes, it is. Inuyasha is a dog demon.", answered Kagome, "Most Japanese demons are animal oriented. Such as the kitsune, or fox demon."

"I wasn't aware that humans and demons could mate - especially if they are animals.", mused Wetherby.

"The stronger demons are able to take on a human appearance. And, I guess that is how they mate with humans.", explained Kagome.

"Ye guess?", asked Wetherby, "Isn't Inuyasha a ..."

"Dog?", Kagome finished his sentence, "No. Actually, he's sort of caught in mid-transformation. He appears human ... but, he has dog ears instead of human ears. He also has fangs and claws. His eyes are a different color. When he does transform into a "true" demon, he really doesn't change much. His eyes change color, his fangs and claws grow longer and he gets stripes on his cheeks - which is his father's mark. Pure demons will actually transform into their demonic selves. His brother, who is full demon, transforms into a giant, white dog. His father was the same way."

"Very interesting, to say the least.", said Wetherby, "Wouldn't ye agree, Albus?"

"Definately.", agreed the wizard.

Finishing their meal, Dumbledore directed them to follow him and Wetherby to a room upstairs. Miroku stared in wonder at the moving staircases and screamed in horror when a picture greeted them,

"WHAT THE?", he yelled, shocked.

Kagome giggled loudly as Dumbledore winked at her. Another picture was totally empty,

"I see the fat lady has taken a stroll.", Wetherby spoke in Japanese, eyeing Miroku with a grin.

"HUH? A WHAT?", Miroku stared at him in disbelief.

"Well, ye cannot expect her to hang around all day awaiting us, do ye?", Wetherby smiled. He was obviously enjoying Miroku's discomfort.

"N-n-n-no ... I ...guess ... not.", Miroku gulped, then looked to Kagome for salvation, "K-kagome?", he stammered.

She put her arm around his waist, "It's ok. I'll explain everything later.", she whispered, as Wetherby chuckled under his breath, causing Kagome to smile slightly and shake her head, '_Wizards_.'

The quartet entered a room. Various sized cases lined the walls. Inside the cases were numerous timepieces,

"Time turners.", Kagome spoke, as she examined the cases.

Putting her hand against a case, she jumped back in shock when it tried to bite her,

"Yeow!", she yelled, then she reached out and slapped the top of the case, "That's not nice. You should mind your manners.", she scolded the case.

Miroku stared in disbelief, '_She's scolding a wooden case. That just BIT her_!', he rubbed his head, '_I think I need to rest_.', he thought.

The chest appeared to pout at Kagome, "Don't hit me!", it cried out.

Kagome knelt down in front of the chest as Dumbledore approached, "Don't pay him any mind, young lady. His bark really is worse than his bite."

Kagome rubbed the side of the chest, "You're just a child, aren't you?", she spoke.

Dumbledore studied Kagome in amazement at her reaction to the magical world.

Wetherby brought over a small time turner, "Albus, do ye think this will do the job?"

Dumbledore studied it, "No. We have to travel back a year. We would be turning that thing forever to get back that far.".

He handed the turner back to Wetherby and walked over to another case. Opening it, he reached inside and pulled out two larger time turners and re-closed the case. Returning to Kagome and Miroku, he showed the time turner to her,

"This is a brand new type of time turner. All we need to do is enter a date. It will do the rest."

Kagome took it from him, "It's digital. I didn't know you had this sort of technology in this time."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, "Digital, ye say. Hmmm. Fascinating. I was trying to think of a name for it."

Wetherby explained a bit more, "Wizards generally create things before the muggles do. But, we usually let the muggles take the credit. It keeps our world a secret."

"I didn't know that.", Kagome mused.

"My dear Kagome,", Dumbledore addressed her, "I will give a time turner to ye and I will keep one. Allow me to actually use the device to send us back. But, should something happen, and I fail, I will need ye to be a backup.", he explained to her, with a nod. Miroku wondered why Wetherby did not translate Dumbledore's last words.

Kagome nodded, "I understand."

Dumbledore nodded back, "Come now. Shall we relax for a bit? It is still early and we need to make sure that Malfoy is in London before we proceed."

Miroku bowed slightly and looked at Wetherby, "I would like a tour of the school, if you would be so kind, Lord Wetherby.", he spoke in Japanese.

Wetherby bowed back, "It would be my pleasure, Lord Monk. Lady Kagome? Would ye care to join us?"

Kagome smiled and bowed, "Maybe later. Thank you."

"Of course.", Wetherby replied, "Follow me please, Miroku."

Kagome watched Miroku and Wetherby depart. She turned to Dumbledore, who was smiling at her,

"I could tell by your expression, professor, that you had more questions of me.", Kagome smiled back.

"Ye are very perceptive. Please, follow me."

Dumbledore led her to another room in the rear of the castle. Walking into the room, her eyes lit up,

"FAWKES!", she looked at the bird in amazement.

"Ye know of Fawkes as well, young lady. I am much surprised. Ye must know this Joanne witch very well."

Kagome smiled, "You could say that, yes.", she replied, as she searched the room. Her eyes fell on other items,

"The Pensive Bowl. Amazing. Oh ... and The Sorting Hat!", she squealed in delight.

"Hmmm. I do wonder how that got here.", Dumbledore said, picking up the hat, "Bored of your other spot?"

The Sorting Hat spoke, "Yes. The headmaster is such a bore."

Dumbledore placed the hat up on the shelf and proceeded to sit down. Kagome took that as her cue to follow suit. They two chatted idley for a while before Dumbledore probed Kagome further about Feudal Japan and demons. Specifically, Inuyasha, since she knew him intimately. Kagome answered his questions and told him everything he was curious about in regards to demons. Dumbledore seemed especially touched by Inuyasha's sad life,

"Ahhh. To lose one's mother so early in life. How so unfortunate.", he sighed, "Especially, when one lives as long as demons can live.", he shook his head, then changed the subject to the mission and the time turner, "When ye return through the portal, ye shall not remember all that ye have seen here.", he told her.

"I realize that.", she replied, "And, actually, I like that idea.", she spoke softly, "I just want my life to return to the way it is supposed to be."

He touched her hand, "It will, my dear. Trust me. It will."

The door opened and Wetherby and Miroku walked in. Kagome jumped up,

"I didn't realize we were talking that long ... Miroku ... what's the matter?", she asked her friend.

Dumbledore analyzed the monk. His skin was pasty white and he was mouthing something but not making a sound,

"My,", spoke Dumbledore, "It looks like he saw a ghost."

"A ghost?", Kagome repeated, "OH NO ..."

"The poor monk has never seen a ghost before, has he?", Wetherby spoke with a Cheshire Cat grin, "We met Nearly Headless Nick in the ha ..."

Kagome began laughing so hard her sides ached. She held her stomach as she chortled and choked on her glee,

"O ... oh, p-p-p-oor M-mi-ro-ku ha ha ha ...", she spoke between fits of laughter. She found it difficult to stand as she held onto a small desk for support.

Miroku finally recovered and stared at his friend,

"I'm thrilled I gave you a good laugh, Kagome.", he said through clenched teeth, his eyes closed and arms folded across his chest.

"I-I-I'm so-so-so s-s-s-s-sorry ... pfffffffffffffffffft.", her laughter continued, stamping her foot down to try to dispell the laughing fits.

Miroku eyed the girl through eye slits as he sighed heavily. Kagome gulped hard three times as she got the giggles under control. She went over and patted him on the arm,

"It's ok. Really. You're not crazy.", she reassured him.

"Oh. Sure. You know all about this place. I want to explore and you don't warn me that a ghost might suddenly pop up and greet me while taking off his hat which PULLS OFF HIS HEAD ... well ... nearly anyway."

Kagome smiled and choked out, "That's why he's called Nearly Headless Nick."

"Of course.", Miroku replied, sarcastically.

Dumbledore continued to smile, bemused at what Wetherby was translating to him, "We should get to London. I have a feeling that Malfoy will be in town by tonight."

"Oh?", asked Kagome, curiously.

"Yes. Tonight there is a town meeting regarding the possibility of invading the colonies to try and restore them under British rule.", Wetherby informed her.

"Then we should hurry.", agreed Kagome.

--

Later that afternoon, the group reached the bustling downtown area. Dumbledore motioned to a building across the street,

"There. That is where the muggle Parliament meets."

Kagome stared. Outside the building, a huge mob was gathered. People shouted for an end to the independent colonies and for a war to bring them back in line under the crown. From the open windows, she could hear Nishimura/Malfoy addressing people,

"THE BEST TIME TO ATTACK THEM IS NOW. THE COUNTRY IS AT ODDS. THE NORTH AGAINST THE SOUTH. NOW IS THE TIME FOR US TO BRING DEFEAT TO THEIR SHORES AND RETURN THEM BACK TO THE CROWN."

Kagome's mind raced. She knew this time in American History ... but, her mind was failing her. The colonies attacking each other ... she had learned that ...

"THE CIVIL WAR!", she exclaimed out loud, slamming her fist into her hand for emphasis.

"WHAT?", the two British men chorused.

"Kagome?", asked Miroku.

"That's it! That's why the modern world changed. Malfoy prevented the Civil War in the States. The war between the North and the South.", she replied.

"The colonies went to war with each other?", Wetherby asked, disbelieving.

"Yes.", she replied, "Over slavery. If that war doesn't happen, my world is doomed."

"Then we must stop Malfoy now.", said Wetherby, emphatically.

"I agree.", said Dumbledore, "Kagome, I showed you how to use the Time Turner. You will need to get back to the portal and make sure that Malfoy doesn't escape. And, if I should fail ..."

Kagome nodded solemnly, "I know.", she replied.

Miroku looked at Kagome curiously and noticed how she fingered the time turner around her neck. He wondered what the man meant by his words.

Dumbledore nodded imperceptively to the others and Miroku took Kagome's arm and walked away towards the alley with the portal. Inside the Parliament House, Malfoy felt a shiver creep down his spine and wondered why. He tried to pay attention to the murmers of those present as the debate to wage a war against the colonies continued. He rubbed his hands together nervously, sweat covering his palms and temple. He reached inside his suit coat and felt for it. Good. His wand remained easily accessible.

Suddenly, he felt nauseous. He held his stomach with his arm. He felt the world begin to spin and fade away. As he regained his composure, he realized the world was different. In place of a debating Parliament, he was standing before an angry group of military leaders and government leaders,

"Colonel Tennyson Malfoy. You are hereby ordered to death by hanging for High Treason and Murder. Do you have any last requests?", one of the men spoke.

Nishimura/Malfoy panicked. He looked around confused,

'_What happened? This can't be happening! My work! My plans _...'

Nishimura/Malfoy turned around and ran out of the building, shocking everyone. Exiting the structure, he saw Dumbledore and Wetherby approaching, wands extended,

"GIVE IT UP, MALFOY!", shouted Wetherby, "THE DEMENTORS WILL BE HERE SOON ENOUGH!"

"NO! I REFUSE TO GIVE UP!", he screamed, as he turned and ran towards the alley_, 'I'll start over. The people in Japan are foolish enough to follow me again_.', he thought, as he ran helter skelter down the street.

Dumbledore watched in horror as Malfoy headed towards the alleyway. He started to run ...

Nishimura/Malfoy turned the corner and ran right into Miroku and Kagome. Kagome's hand was extended and air swirled around it,

"It's the end for you, Nishimura!", Miroku stated, smiling a wicked smile, "You're going where you belong!"

"YOU FOOL!", Nishimura/Malfoy screamed, "IT'S NOT OVER YET, MONK!"

Malfoy grabbed his wand and screamed out, "CONFRINGO MAXIMA!"

--

Sesshoumaru studied the scene in front of him. Nishimura's entire Western forces had gathered in front of him. The Western lords armies' prepared to meet them. Behind Sesshoumaru, demons stood at the ready,

"Sesshoumaru."

He turned, "Mother. Why are you here?"

"This is it, my son. You must defeat those humans.", she spoke.

"You are telling me to forge an alliance with the human lords? For what purpose? Why should I involve myself in a petty ningen battle?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru,", spoke a demon, "Our lands have been ravaged. You are our only hope."

"I tend to agree, my lord.". The voice was that of Rin. Sesshoumaru studied her facial features, finding himself admiring her strength.

"My son. Do you truly want the Western Lands to be ruled by those ningens? The Western lords respect your power and authority."

Sesshoumaru turned back to stare at the two opposing armies. He pulled out Bakusaiga,

"Rin. Take Ah-Un and find somewhere safe. I do not need to be rescuing you."

Rin nodded and grabbed Ah-Un's reins. Jaken stared at her as she flew off. He gulped hard. He wished his lord would send him away as well but, he knew better.

Sesshoumaru walked and then picked up speed as he headed towards the enemy, sword drawn, legions of demons behind him ...

--

Kohaku stared at the dying fire. The troops were growing restless. Food was lacking and so were other supplies. Nishimura had not ordered them anywhere so they had remained rooted in their current location. Kohaku had taken noticed that some former loyal Nishimura supporters were begining to fall to the side desiring freedom.

Some had tried to flee and return home only to be cut down by the loyalists. Hunger and thirst began to fuel thoughts of banding together instead of trying to escape alone. Kohaku kept adding more wood to the fire,

"We can take them down. I know it.", he whispered around the campfire, "Even the captain is weak from lack of food. And I cannot keep hunting for us because "us" keeps growing larger. Sooner or later, the loyalists will discover we are not as weak as they are."

"The boy speaks the truth.", agreed an older man, "Now is the time to act. Nishimura hasn't been here for a while. Right now, there are more of us than there are of the loyalists."

"Maybe so.", said another, "But, many of us are injured. Some cannot walk. We cannot rely on all of us to defeat them."

"No.", agreed Kohaku, "But, many of us are strong enough to perform the fighting of two men. Maybe even three. Plus, we'll catch them by surprise. It _**will**_ be in our favor ..."

"Let's take a vote.", said another soldier, "All those in favor, raise your hand."

Hands flew up eagerly.

"Opposed?", the soldier asked.

Two - then a third hand raised,

"Fine. You three can stay and suffer."

"I say we attack at dusk during changing of the guard.", offered Kohaku.

"Agreed.", chorused the group softly.

The men waited quietly for dusk. As the intended time came nearer, a few of the group quietly strolled away to take up positions in the forest. Kohaku kept a close eye on the captain and his men in the distance. His eyes scanned the trees. Seeing one of his men at the edge of the forest, he nodded and stood up. The guards began to change their positions. The mutineers launched their assault ...

--

Toutousai stared into the distance and shivered. Something in his old bones told him death was in the air. He wrapped his arms around his body,

"Oh my. I sense trouble."

--

Grandpa and Lady Kaede exited the hut and looked into the sky,

"I see nothing there but, I feel an air of dread. I like not the feel of it.", Kaede commented.

Grandpa found an early star, '_Kagome. Please be alright_.'

Sango looked at Kaede and Kagome's grandfather before saying a silent prayer,

'_Return to me soon, Miroku. You, too, Kagome and Inuyasha_.'

--

Nishimura/Malfoy grinned at the monk and miko as he yelled those words. The ground began to shake violently all around them, knocking Miroku and Kagome off their feet. Screams were heard from the streets as buildings collapsed, horses reared and neighed in fear, loud explosions rang throughtout the town and people ran for their lives,

"AN EARTHQUAKE?", Miroku yelled.

"NO!", screamed Kagome, "A CURSE!"

Nishimura/Malfoy laughed as he began to float over the two. Miroku reached up and grabbed the man's pants and yanked him back down to earth,

"OH NO YOU DON'T!", Miroku screamed.

Nishimura/Malfoy tried to aim his wand at Miroku,

"AVADA ..."

Kagome managed to get on her knees with her arm raised and hand extended,

"NOOOOOO!", she screamed, as she sent off a burst of energy towards Nishimura/Malfoy.

The quaking earth knocked her off balance, sending the spell off kilter but, still managing to dislodge his wand,

"WENCH!", he screamed at her, his eyes bugged out wide.

Miroku took his chance and slugged Nishimura/Malfoy knocking him aside. He barely recognized the sight of Dumbledore as he felt his head grow faint. The shaking earth knocked him flat as his stomach grew queasy.

Kagome stared in front of her. She felt faint and weak. Looking up, she recognized from their descriptions, the presence of the dementors. She gulped hard and tried to reach an unconcious Miroku and pull him towards the portal. Malfoy's agonized screams filled her ears as she tried to escape the dementors powers. She felt like she was dying, like she could no longer get a breath. She felt her world go completely black ...

--

_A/N: My apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I was on vacation for a while and then I decided to wait and see if Takahashi-sensei would open up anything I could add to the story. Actually, I'm surprised the manga is still going. Judging from what I've heard about previous stories, she has a habit of leaving loose ends open. After Naraku bit the dust and Kagome disappeared into the Meidou I kind of expected ... "SURPRISE! Last Chapter ... make up your own minds about what happens to her and Inuyasha.". Well, we'll see what happens. Anyway - Final Chapter will be up by this weekend. Enjoy._


	15. The Way We Were

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Fifteen

The Way We Were

Inuyasha jumped down from the tree, his eyes wide, his legs askance, his mouth open,

"M-m-m-master. The p-p-portal.", mumbled Myouga.

"I see it. And I don't like it.", Inuyasha said to him.

The tree portal was acting strangely. Instead of the normal bluish-white light that signaled movement from within, the portal was afire, rumbling, crackling with immense energy as if angry at some unseen force,

"KAGOME!", Inuyasha screamed into the air as he rushed the portal that ZAPPED! him backwards when he hit the forcefield surrounding it,

"DAMN!", he cursed, as he ran up to it again.

This time he placed his hands on the barrier, trying to force his way through. The barrier sizzled as his hands touched it. Ignoring the pain, he continued to try to push his way through the energy, somehow,

"KAGOME! DON'T GIVE UP! I'LL GET YOU! I PROMISE!", he screamed into the portal.

The barrier released a loud ZAP! as Inuyasha was thrown backwards again. He stood up,

"So, that's the way it's gonna be, is it?", he spoke to the barrier. His fur stood up on end. He felt like the portal was a living, breathing entity. He unsheathed Tessaiga,

"I'll never let you keep Kagome!", he spoke through gritted teeth as the blade of the sword turned a bright, yet angry, red, "TESSAIGA!", he screamed out the sword's name as he released a barrier crushing attack.

The energy hit the barrier, surrounding it in a bright, white light and then ... disappeared,

"WHAT? The barrier-breaking Red Tessaiga didn't work?", Inuyasha stared in disbelief.

He felt something in his hand. He looked down at the sword. It was pulsating,

"Tessaiga?", he queried his sword.

As if in response, the sword's blade turned black on its own accord,

"You want me to use the Meidou Zangetsuha?", Inuyasha asked, increduously.

He stared back at the portal. It continued to crackle with a vengeance and as Inuyasha continued to stare, it seemed to take on a more demonic appearance, screaming in anger. Inuyasha readied his sword,

"I'm counting on you, Tessaiga. Bring Kagome and Miroku home.", he said, as he raised the sword, "MEIDOU ZANGETSUHA!", he screamed the attack name.

A huge, black hole formed in front of him and the portal began wavering side to side. The screeching sound it made grew louder. So loud that Inuyasha nearly passed out from the pitch. As he held his ears and squinted, Inuyasha thought he saw images of black, hooded creatures hissing and dissolving into the Meidou. A distorted figure of man followed, his eyes seemingly hollow,

'_NISHIMURA_!', Inuyasha thought.

Inuyasha's eyes opened wide as he saw two figures laying on the ground underneath the Meidou's circle,

"KAGOME! MIROKU!", he yelled, in recognition.

The circle began to fade away and with it, the deafening, screeching sound. Inuyasha took that chance to run up to his wife and friend. Pulling Kagome into his arms, he shook her,

"Kagome. Wake up. C'mon. You can do it. Come back to me. Wake up. PLEASE!", he begged, tears in his eyes, as he held her lifeless body to his chest.

He felt her body shudder and he pulled her away,

"Kagome?", he asked, quietly.

"Inu - yasha.", she spoke weakly.

Inuyasha laid his head on hers, "Thank goodness.", he whispered.

Kagome started to sit up and held her head in her hands,

"Ooooooh. I'm soooo dizzy.", she remarked, then looked beside her, "Miroku!"

Inuyasha knee-walked over to their friend and examined him,

"He's alive.", he said, relief in his voice, "Just unconscious."

Kagome smiled gently and spoke, "Wh -what happened? Wh-why are we here?", she said, confused and looking around her.

Inuyasha stared at her, '_Doesn't she remember_?', he wondered.

Kagome sat up straighter and her hand brushed over her chest. An object laid against her chest. She lifted it up,

'_Huh? A stopwatch? Where did I get th ... _", her thoughts stopped mid-sentence and she felt like an epiphany hit her, '_It's a time-turner! The portal. Nishimura. We traveled back to 19th Century England_.'

She looked up, "Inuyasha. Where's the tree? The portal?"

"So, you do remember.", he commented, "The portal disappeared. I guess you were successful."

She stood up, wobbly at first, "No. We didn't succeed. It's not possible ..."

Inuyasha stood up and stared at her, "Whaddya mean?"

Her mind flashed back to Dumbledore,

_'When ye return through the portal, ye shall not remember all that ye have seen here.'_

Kagome just shook her head, surreally,

"If everything has returned to as it was supposed to be ... then neither one of us should remember or, in that matter, even know anything about this portal or Nishimura.", she explained to him.

Inuyasha let her words sink in. Speaking softly, he asked,

"What do you make of this, Myouga?"

He looked onto his shoulder. The flea was gone,

"Pfft. Just like him.", Inuyasha muttered, "Always the first to run away when there's trouble."

Miroku moaned and groaned, rubbling his forehead with his right hand. Inuyasha and Kagome knelt beside him,

"You're awake.", said Kagome, "That's good, Miroku."

The monk opened his eyes, "Where are we?", he mumbled.

"At the portal.", Kagome said, softly, "Or, at least, where the portal was. I guess we didn't succeed in our mission."

Miroku sat up slowly, "Huh? We're at the well? What mission? What are you talking about?"

Kagome looked at him, strangely, "The tree portal? We went to 1860's England? Nishimura? Hogwarts? Nearly Headless Nick? Remember?"

Miroku stared at his friend like she was crazy. He then looked at Inuyasha,

"Do you have any idea what she's talking about, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha swallowed and looked at Kagome, "It appears that Miroku doesn't remember anything."

Miroku looked between his friends, "Huh?"

Inuyasha and Kagome stared at each other for a moment, each trying to come to terms with what was occurring. Finally, Inuyasha spoke,

"Let's check the village."

Kagome nodded, "Yes. Let's."

The three headed for the ancient Heiian village of Inuyasha's birth. Arriving later that night, they found a deserted ghost town,

"Where is this?", Miroku queried.

Inuyasha blinked and gulped, "A place to bed down for the night. There's some shelter at least, should it decide to rain.", he quickly lied.

"Good.", answered Miroku, "Cause I am exhausted. I don't know why, either.", he said, as he made his way to a dilapidated house to rest.

The trio set out the next morning, bound for Kaede's village. Kagome was exhausted because she and Inuyasha had remained awake all night, talking. They had mulled over and over the various conflicting images, wondering what it all meant. It seemed as if all was back to what it should have been, without Nishimura's arrival into Japan. But, if it was, why did they remember the entire incident? Inuyasha sensed his wife's tiredness and stopped, kneeling on the ground,

"Huh?", she said, sleepily.

"Get on.", he replied, gently.

She smiled gratefully and climbed up on his back. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she dozed peacefully, snuggling into his silvery mane.

As the day wore on, they began entering more familiar ground,

"Why were we so far north in Musashi?", wondered Miroku.

Inuyasha could only offer him a fairy tale, "We had a huge demon we had to battle. You must have been knocked out and don't remember it."

"Hmmm. Was that who Kagome was talking about? When she said the name Nishimura? And, who is Nearly Headless Nick?"

Inuyasha shrugged, "Dunno about the headless guy but, yea, Nishimura was the demon's name."

"Odd name for a demon. Oh well, I supposed it takes all kinds. Even for demons.", he mused.

"Guess it does.", Inuyasha agreed.

They passed through familiar villages. Inuyasha noted how all looked peaceful and undisturbed. No sign of war or struggle. Inuyasha began to question his own sanity,

'_Maybe it wasn't real. Maybe it was me and Kagome who experienced it all and no one else did. Maybe it was all a dream. Is that even remotely possible for us to have the same dream_?'

Wanting to hurry home to Sango, Miroku never asked for much of a break. He would grab fruits from trees along the way to keep his stomach full and stop for some water while Inuyasha continued to walk, then quickly catch up to his friends. By late afternoon, they crested the hill just before the entrance to the small village. Inuyasha blinked twice. Kaede's village, destroyed in his memories, was intact and bustling with activity,

"Hey everybody!", shouted a small voice, "Kagome, Inuyasha and Miroku are back."

Kagome woke up from all the noise and was surprised to realize she had slept the entire journey. Sango and her brood rushed up to Miroku, hugging him, asking where he had been. Surprised that Sango didn't know, Miroku looked at Inuyasha, who just shrugged.

Shippou, Shinta, Kai and Izayoi rushed up to Kagome and Inuyasha, the young pups scrambling to be held by their parents. Kaede brought a squirming Shiori up to them,

"She is very happy that ye two are back.", Kaede told them.

Kagome took the sweet-faced pup and looked at Inuyasha, who returned her gaze. They each knew what the other was thinking. Things appeared to be normal and only they seemed to remember the alternate life.

--

Inuyasha and Kagome rested for two days. In that time, they both agreed on what they needed to do. They had to return to the present,

"I have to know.", Kagome said to her husband.

He held her, "I know you do.", he said, as he kissed the top of her raven hair.

--

The day before they planned to go to the modern age, Myouga appeared. Inuyasha quizzed him on where he had disappeared to and the flea, as well, was clueless to Inuyasha's questions about Nishimura and the time portal.

Kagome, with Shiori strapped to her back, picked up a basket of vegetables and headed towards her hut. Myouga landed on her shoulder,

"What is with Master Inuyasha, Lady Kagome?", the flea questioned her.

"What do you mean, Myouga?"

Myouga told Kagome about Inuyasha's strange questions. She just smiled and reassured the flea, "Inuyasha just had a very vivid dream. He truly believes it was real.", she lied.

Entering the hut, she placed the basket on the table. As she did so, the time turner around her neck swung forward. She grabbed it and her mind flashed back to when she and Dumbledore had been talking, alone, in the school office,

'_When all is said and done, and the mission complete, the time turner will return to me, my dear_.'

'_Why hasn't it disappeared? Is there something left undone_?', she thought. Then she had an idea,

"Myouga?", she asked the flea.

"Huhmmm?"

"What do you know about dates?"

"Dates? The fruit?", the flea looked at her,

"No. You know, when things occurred in history."

"Oh. A bit. What do you want to know?"

Kagome explained what she wanted,

"Hmm. That might be a little difficult for me. But, I know a demon who could help me."

"Could you ask that demon and get back to me as soon as you can?", she asked, sweetly.

"I'm on it!", Myouga chirped, jumping away.

--

Kohaku finished his chores and looked around for Rin. He found her sitting on a rock overlooking the stream. He sat beside her. The two sat quietly as birds chirped. Rin broke the silence,

"Kohaku.", she spoke.

Kohaku sighed. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling of what Rin had on her mind. He had felt a distance growing between them. She had kept putting off the marriage date and he believed he knew why, though he could not explain how he knew,

"Yes, Rin?"

Rin swallowed hard as a tear fell down her cheek, "I'm afraid I've been unfair to you, Kohaku."

He looked at her, "Why?"

"You deserve someone better than me. I don't think I can just get married and live in a village for the rest of my life.", she explained.

"You miss your traveling life with Lord Sesshoumaru, don't you?"

She smiled as she gulped again, "You always did seem to know me so well."

He cupped her face in his hands,

"Rin. I only want you to be happy. I want what's best for you. I know you hated it when Lord Sesshoumaru insisted you stay here with Sango and myself. You need to be true to your heart, Rin."

She wrapped her arms around him, "Thank you so much for everything, Kohaku. I really do love you. I ... just cannot live with you. Or any other man other than Lord Sesshoumaru."

Kohaku nodded as she pulled away, "I will never forget you, Rin.", he kissed her gently, "I will always love you, too."

He smiled a fake smile as he stood up and turned away. He felt a tear escape his eye, '_Good luck, Rin_.', he thought.

As he approached the hut he shared with his sister, Sango exited. Her eyes met her brother's and she just stared at him, her heart breaking,

"Kohaku!"

"Big sister.", he replied.

"You've been crying. Why?"

"Rin and I have decided to part ways.", he said to her, softly.

She reached out to hug him, tears running down her cheeks, "Kohaku! I'm so sorry!"

He closed his eyes and hugged her back, "Thank you. But, I feel it's for the best. You know Rin detests village life."

Sango pulled away and dried her tears, "Yes, I do. You are alright with this, Kohaku?"

He smiled, "Yes. I'll be fine, sister.", he said to her, his voice filled with confidence, though his heart ached.

She kissed his cheek, "If you need anything ... to talk ..."

"I know.", he said, "I know where to find you."

She smiled and nodded before leaving him. Kohaku headed further into the village, running into Miroku in the process,

"Oh. Kohaku. Are you busy?", the monk asked him.

"No. Why?", he answered back.

"We have guests. A mother and daughter. The husband was a samurai killed in battle. She's looking for a quiet village to reside in. Can you assist her in becoming settled?"

"Uh huh. No problem. Where are they?"

"On the eastern most section of the village. I left them talking with a couple village women there.", said Miroku.

"Ok. I'll take care of them.", Kohaku said, taking off in that direction.

He arrived at the location and spotted the newcomers. Walking towards them, he bowed and smiled,

"Where are your things? We have an empty hut you can use temporarily until a new one is built for you. I'll take your things there.", he said.

The woman stood up and bowed in gratitude,

"You are so kind, young man, thank you.", the older woman said, as she motioned to a small collection of belongings, "This is all we were able to carry, I'm afraid."

Kohaku picked up the items and started walking towards the hut, motioning them to follow him,

"My name is Kohaku.", he said, introducing himself.

"It's very nice to meet you, Kohaku. My name is Ima. And this is my only child, my daughter, Nara."

Kohaku's eyes landed on the pretty girl. His heart lurched in his chest and he smiled a goofy smile. The young girl returned his smile. His mind raced as wildly as his heart. For reasons he couldn't explain, he felt an instant connection with the young girl ...

--

The next morning, Inuyasha packed a bag for Shiori,

"Are you sure the pups will be able to go through the well, Inuyasha?", asked Shippou.

Inuyasha looked at the kit, as his mind traveled back to a memory,

'_You are highly spiritual. Your soul is spiritually strong. That is why you can time travel. Inuyasha is connected to you and that is why he can time-travel. Your grandfather is highly spirtual and he is connected to you ...', spoke Hideki._

'_I'm not highly spiritual but, I am connected to Kagome and that is why I can travel through the well. The pups are even more connected to Kagome_. _It stands to reason that _...', Inuyasha thought,

"Yes, Shippou. I have every reason to believe the pups will pass through safely.", he explained to the boy.

Kagome finished picking some ripe strawberries from the plants. She planned on letting Kaede have them so they didn't go bad. As she headed towards the old woman's hut, Myouga landed on her shoulder,

"I have the information you requested, Lady Kagome.", the flea informed her, handing her a small scroll.

She took it and examined it, "Hmm. Okay. It uses the Chinese calendar. I can use this. Thank you, Myouga."

"I'm glad to be of service, my lady.", Myouga bowed and then took off.

Kagome finished visitng Kaede and headed back to her hut to finish preparing the pups for the trip.

--

High up a nearby hill, Sesshoumaru stood next to Ah-Un and Jaken, looking down upon the village. He picked up her scent easily and inhaled deeply, but, quietly,

'_Rin_.', he thought, '_Do you remember, Rin_?'

He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to waver. He could not explain his thoughts. His feelings. No one had ever mattered this much to him. He had never found himself, before now, longing for the touch of a female,

_'Inuyasha. You have succeed in ridding the world of the scourge of Nishimura. The world appears as it should be. But, why do I remember what I remember? Jaken and mother have no knowledge of the memories I have. It is as if it never happened. But, it did. I know it did. And, little brother, I feel you do as well. My mind is filled with the memories of battle but, also something else. The touch of her hand, the sound of her voice, the smell of her scent, the color of her hair, the look in her eyes_.', his eyes opened, '_How do I respond to my heart that longs for the touch of a human girl_?'

--

Miroku, Sango and Shippou accompanied Inuyasha, Kagome and the pups to the well,

"I hope you're right about this, Inuyasha.", warned Miroku.

Inuyasha waved him off, "Don't worry I am.", he said, nonchalantly.

Shinta peered in,

"It's dark down there."

Kai jumped up on the lip,

"Spooky."

Izayoi trembled in her father's arms,

"Are dere monsters down dere?", she queried.

"Is my little warrior princess afraid of some itty bitty dead demons?", Inuyasha cooed to her.

She sat up straighter in his arms and placed her fists on her hips,

"No, I not.", she spoke defiantly, then shrank a bit, "I just don't want no surprises is all."

Kagome placed her hand on Izayoi's back,

"It's ok, sweetie. Daddy will be with you."

Izayoi leaned into her father's chest,

"Otay.", she replied.

Kagome adjusted Shiori's carrier on her back and held out her arms,

"Kai? Wanna come with me or your father?", she asked the little boy.

"You, mama.", he said, as he scrambled into her arms.

Shinta jumped up onto his father's back,

"I'm ready!", he announced, "TO THE FUTURE!", he held up his fist in the air.

"TO THE FUTURE!", responded Kai, doing a similar motion.

"TO DA FUTURE!", Izayoi chimed in.

"Bye!", Kagome waved to their friends, as Inuyasha put his arm around her waist and the two jumped into the well together.

A bluish light enveloped them and they were gone. Miroku peered inside,

"Nope. No leftovers. Guess it worked!"

"Leftovers?", Sango looked at him strangely, and laughed.

--

_A/N: I thought this would be the last chapter but, I needed to break it into two parts. Enjoy!_


	16. 3 Little Demons in the Modern Age

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Sixteen

Three Little Demons in the Modern Age

"WHEE!"

"I'M FLYING!"

"THIS IS COOL!"

"DADDY, I'M A BUDDERFLY!"

"I FEEL LIKE A BIRD!"

"AWWWW. IT'S OVER?"

"NOT FAIR!"

"LET'S DO IT AGAIN!"

Heavy sigh. "Kagome?"

"Hmm. The Well House is still here.", said Kagome.

"The Well House was in the other world, too. IT was never in question.", replied Inuyasha.

"It's dark.", said Kai.

"Daddy, where're we?", asked Izayoi.

"This is the future?", queried Shinta.

"Come on.", Inuyasha groaned, as he held onto Kagome and hopped out of the well.

"It's not closed up.", mused Kagome.

"No shit. Really? What gave you your first clue?", Inuyasha commented.

The door to the well house opened and light streamed in. Kagome shielded her eyes from the brightness,

"Mama?", she called out.

"KAGOME!", her mother shouted out, happily, "YOU'RE BACK!", she yelled, as she rushed over to hug her daughter, "Oh, how I've missed you.", she spoke, tears streaming down her face.

"I missed you, too, Mama.", Kagome smiled into her mother's shoulder.

Her mother pulled away, "I thought I heard voices coming from inside the well house. I never expected ... oh my Kagome, it is so good to see you ... and you too, Inuyasha-kun.", she spoke, hugging him, "And, Kagome, are ... are they ..."

"Let's go inside and relax, mama. So you can meet your grandchildren properly.", Kagome told her.

Her mother clasped her hands together, excitedly, "OH! I have grandchildren! How wonderful!", she exclaimed, as she turned and headed back to the house, with Inuyasha, carrying Izayoi, Kagome, carrying Shiori and the two boys following.

The boys spun around looking at the outside world and sniffed,

"OH!", exclaimed Shinta, "Does it STINK!", he said, wrinkling up his nose.

Kai held his nose, "Yea!", he agreed.

Inuyasha heard their comments and choked on a chuckle. He thought that everytime he came here.

They entered the house and got comfortable in the living room. Mama went to the stairs and called out,

"Father. Souta. Come down. You'll never guess who's here."

Souta bounded down first. He saw their guests and shouted out,

"SIS! Inu-Nii-Chan! You've come back!", he greeted them, hugging his sister tightly.

"Did I hear correctly?", the old man said, as he ambled down the stairs,

"GRAMPS! IT'S KAGOME AND INUYASHA!", he shouted out.

"Kagome!", her grandfather came around the furniture to hug her, "My dear granddaughter! Oh, where have you been, child? Why have you never visited?"

"I'm so sorry, grandpa. But, after we had the children, well, ..."

"YOU HAVE CHILDREN?!", old man HIgurashi shouted, "I HAVE GREAT GRANDCHILDREN? Where? Where are they?"

"It seems that the boys and Izayoi followed mama into the kitchen. But,", she said, lifting the baby off the floor, "here's our youngest. She's a year old. Her name is Shiori."

Grandpa took the bubbly, cheeky child and nuzzled her nose with his, "Ahhh. My baby great granddaughter. How beautiful you truly are."

Kohaku came up to the child, "Hey, Gramps. She's got dog-ears like Inu-Nii-Chan.", he commented.

"Why, she sure does, doesn't she?", Grandpa said.

"Hey kid.", Inuyasha remarked to Kohaku from his spot on the couch, "Ya sure have grown since we last saw ya."

"Like a weed.", agreed Kagome.

"Well, I am 14 now. Did you expect me to stay little forever?"

--

In the kitchen, Mama prepared some food and drinks as the three youngsters investigated the strange surroundings. Watching his grandmother open the refrigerator to get out food and drinks, Shinta peered inside,

"It's cold in here."

Mama giggled and opened the freezer, "It's colder here.", she told them.

"There's ice in that box.", spoke Kai, in wonder.

"What's this strange box?", asked Shinta.

"That's called a microwave. It cooks food very very quickly.", answered his grandmother.

"Where's the fire go?", asked Kai.

"It doesn't use fire. It uses lights.", responded grandmother.

"LIGHTS?", Kai and Shinta chorused together.

"Dose're strange candles.", Izayoi said, looking at the lights on the ceiling.

"How do reach them to put'em out?", asked Shinta, "Ya got a ladder around here?"

"Nope.", answered the woman, "I just flip this switch.", she showed them.

The three stood around and gazed in wonder,

"Ooooooooh."

"COOL!"

"WOW!"

"Do it again!"

Their grandmother giggled and pulled a chair over, "Why don't you try it?"

--

Inuyasha leaned his head back, his eyes closed. The soft chatting between Kagome, Souta and the old man filled the air. Every now and then, Shiori chortled and giggled,

'_At least her time is back to normal_.', he thought.

He didn't know why, but, he felt the urge to suddenly open his eyes. Something was different. Turning his head slightly, he realized what it was. The light in the kitchen was going off, on, off, on, off, on, off, on,

'_What the _...?'

He stood up and walked into the kitchen. Standing on a chair was Kai and Izayoi, with Shinta on the floor. The three were taking turns flipping the switch on and off. Kagome's mom was calmly fixing a tray of food,

"Excuse me?", he queried.

Her mother paused and looked up, "Oh. Inuyasha-kun. I didn't see you standing there. Is there something I can do for you or get for you?"

He pointed to his 3 curious pups flipping the light switch off and on before closing his arms together and looking up at the annoying light going off, on, off, on.

Her mother giggled, "Oh, they're fine. It's amazing how something so simple can keep them so occupied. But, then I guess it's simple to the people in this world. Since you don't have electricity in your world, I can see why they're so fascinated.", she smiled.

He looked at her aghast, "It ... doesn't bother you?"

She smiled a broad smile, "They're just children! No, of course not! I can't wait to watch them discover the other marvels of our world.", she clasped her hands together, "Oh, the fun we'll have showing them around!"

Inuyasha shook his head. Her mother continued,

"I made sure to keep lots of ramen on hand, just in case you came to visit.", she said with a smile, as she picked up a couple of ramen bowls.

Inuyasha's mouth started to water and drool at the sight of his favorite food,

"Do you have dried potatoes, too?", he asked.

"Sure do. Which flavor would you prefer to start with?"

"Anything. As long as it's dried potatoes.", he told her.

She smiled, "You're an easy one to please. Go on in and sit down. I'll bring it in."

Inuyasha turned and dreamily walked back to the couch and sat down, his mouth still drooling,

"Inuyasha? What's up with you?", Kagome asked, staring at him.

"She has lots of ramen and dried potatoes. Your mother is fabulous!"

"She remembered your favorites.", Kagome smiled at him, before returning to her conversation.

Soon, Kagome's mom walked in with a tray of drinks followed by Shinta and Kai, who each carried trays of food. Izayoi came last, pulling a small wagon that carried 3 bowls of ramen for her father,

"Where did you find THAT old thing?", Kagome asked, referring to the wagon.

"It was in the store room. I found it one day and decided to clean it up.", her mother explained "It was perfect for her to pull the soup."

"Isn't that your old toy wagon, sis?", Souta asked.

"Yea. I thought it was long gone.", she commented, as she helped with the food and drinks.

As they became settled, Kagome introduced the pups formally. Mama Higurashi hugged each of them and played gently with their ears, much like any other grandmother would pinch a child's cheeks,

"I don't know what toys I have left from when you and Souta were younger.", mama commented, "I may have to go and buy some."

"Oh, I'm sure that won't be necessary, mama.", Kagome told her, "Modern life will be fascinating enough for them."

"Yup. They already discovered light switches.", mumbled Inuyasha.

Inuyasha happily munched on his dried potatoes and ramen,

"Whatcha got there, dad?", asked Shinta.

"The best food on the planet. Dried potatoes and ramen!", he answered.

Shinta and Kai squinted up their noses, "HUH?"

Izayoi toddled over, "Can I dwy some, pweeze?"

Inuyasha let her take some ramen and then handed her a bowl of chips. She rubbed her tummy happily,

"Dat's weally weally weally weally good, daddy!", she said, excitedly.

That brought a duo of "I wanna try some!", as Kai and Shinta scrambled to their father's side.

Watching her kids get a sampling of ramen and potato chips, Kagome sighed,

"Doesn't take much to get kids hooked on junk food does it?"

Her mother placed a hand on her arm, "It's a treat. When you return to your world they'll eat better.", she assured her daughter.

Kagome smiled, "I know.", she replied.

They group proceeded to eat and talk about benign subjects, just catching up on the past. During a short pause, Shinta piped up,

"Dad. Grandma boiled water in a pot on a swirly metal thing that lit up.", he told his father.

Kagome perked up, "You bought an electric stove?"

Her mother nodded, "Yes. The gas one finally stopped working. Souta had been bugging me to switch to electric. He kept insisting that gas was dangerous."

"Hmmm.", Kagome nodded in understanding.

The topic changed again and the adults were engrossed in a conversation about recent Japanese events. No one really paid attention to the three pups, who walked around the room examining objects. Every now and then, Kagome would look over at them, just to make sure they weren't getting into any trouble. She smiled inwardly as the pups discovered some pictures in frames. She soon returned to the conversation at hand. The discussion was interrupted by a loud,

"WOW! HOW'D THEY DO THAT?", from Shinta.

"MAMA! DAD! THERE'S PEOPLE INSIDE THIS BOX!", shouted Kai.

Izayoi walked all around the strange box, "How do dey get in an out, daddy?"

"They've discovered the television, I see.", observed grandpa.

Kagome broke away from the group to sit beside the three amazed youngsters. She began explaining in simple terms about how a television works. Inuyasha found himself gravitating toward her to hear her explanation.

--

After dinner, Kagome took the children upstairs for a bath,

"Where we get the water from, mama?", Kai asked.

"Where's the well and buckets, mama?", asked Shinta.

Kagome smiled, "Here, we don't need buckets and wells.", she told them, as they followed her into the bathroom,

"What is that strange seat thing?", Shinta asked.

"Huh? It's the toilet. Didn't dad show you ...", she broke off her sentence when she realized the three were staring at her blankly, "Where have you three gone to the potty at?", she asked, half afraid to hear the answer.

"In the tree thingys.", said Kai, as Shinta and Izayoi nodded earnestly.

"Yea, we didn't wet our pants, mama.", Shinta insisted, proudly.

Kagome's heart fell, "What tree thingys, exactly?"

"Da ones in da big bamboo pots in da woom down dere.", Izayoi proudly announced.

Kagome's hand hit her forehead, "You mean, my grandfather's prized banzai trees in the den?", she gulped hard, "Oh no.", she breathed.

"So, mama, how do we take a bath?", Shinta changed the subject.

Realizing it was too late to do anything now, Kagome proceeded to show them the running water. The pups "Ooooh." and "Aaahhh." at the so called "magic" she showed them.

After finishing their bath, Kagome took the time to correct them on their potty habits while in this world and fascinated her brood once again by flushing the "peeing pot." as Kai termed it.

After managing to get three curiousity filled demon pups to bed, Kagome settled Shiori down to sleep. Inuyasha removed his hitoe and relaxed on Kagome's bed while Kagome settled herself at her desk in front of a laptop computer.

Turning it on, she proceeded to the internet search engine and typed in what she was looking for. Inuyasha gazed over at her,

"Whaddya doin'?"

"Hm? Oh, I just wanted to look up something, that's all. I won't be long."

"HMPH! Better not. I need to be taken care of here.", he cockily threw his comment at her.

She turned around to look at him and saw that he had removed his pants and was stroking a hard-on. She closed her eyes and shook her head and giggled,

"What's so damn funny, wench?"

"You."

"What about me?"

She shook her head again, "Nothing. Forget about it."

"NO! I won't forget about it. You need to take care of me, wench! That's your job, remember?"

Kagome got off the chair and knelt down. Extending her arms, she bowed,

"Oh, yes, my beloved master. Thank you for maing sure I know what my job is. I will take care of you, oh master."

She moved back to the chair and Inuyasha huffed,

"HMPH! Damn right, woman. At least you know who's in charge here. Oh, and by the way, next time? It's LORD AND MASTER! Remember that bitch!"

Kagome smiled at his feigned attempt at control. She turned back to the computer. Her site hits were up and she clicked on a couple. Pulling out the small parchment scroll, she studied the screen and the scroll. She eventually took a pen and some paper out of the drawer,

"Hmmm. The Chinese calendar year was ..., ok ... and the period started here ... ok, ... and then this when ... ok,", she mumbled to herself as she worked.

"Kagome."

"And then this occurred ... hmhm ... and then ..."

"Kagome."

"Ok, and then this ..."

"KAGOME."

"Alright, now add this ..."

"KAGOME!"

"And ... alright .. and then ... hmhm ...and ..."

"**KAGOME**!"

She spun around, "Who? What? What's the matter?", she spoke quickly, holding her racing chest.

"What's the matter? WHAT'S THE MATTER?! ME!! THAT'S WHAT'S THE MATTER!", he scolded her, "YOU'RE IGNORING ME!! DAMMIT! I DON'T LIKE BEING IGNORED!"

She sighed heavily, "Geez, is that all?"

Inuyasha's face screwed up, "HUH? Is that all? ISN'T THAT FUCKING ENOUGH, WOMAN!"

"Oh, stop your barking, Inuyasha. I'm nearly done here. Geez, you'da thought the house was on fire!", she groaned, turning back to the computer.

"_**You'da thought the house was on fire**_.", Inuyasha mimicked his wife comically, "It had better be worth the goddamn wait, wench!", he huffed.

Kagome moved her pupils to the corners of her eyes to see him as she made a face at his demands. Shutting down the computer, she folded away the scroll and paper she had been working on. Standing up, she walked over to Inuyasha and look down at him,

"Bout time, bitch."

"Stop calling me bitch, will ya."

"Bitch!"

"Inuyasha."

"Bitch!"

Heavy sigh. "Inuyasha ... do I need to say it?"

Inuyasha sat up and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her on top of him, "My bitch!", he whispered in her ear.

Kagome started shaking her head as Inuyasha planted a heavy, heated kiss on her lips.

--

A couple days later, Kagome informed Inuyasha that she had to go somewhere. Naturally, he pushed for more information,

"Where?", he demanded.

"Out.", she replied.

Inuyasha crossed his arms,

"Kagome!"

"Inuyasha, I just need to go somewhere. I won't be that long. I promise."

"Can I go with you?"

"NO! Absolutely not!"

"How come?", he commented sarcastically.

"Uhh, you need to watch the pups ... that's why.", she explained, happy with her excuse.

"Try again."

"Huh?", she looked at him, confused.

"Your mom and Souta took the 4 of them out shopping for clothes and stuff. They left early this morning, right after the meal."

Kagome sighed, "Alright. It has to do with the time portal. Specifically, where we were after we went through the portal."

"That Hogwarts place?"

"Not exactly. I want to find Hideki. You know, see if I can get some information or ... something."

Inuyasha's eyebrows raised, "Or something? What are ya sticking your nose into again for no good reason other than you are _extremely_ nosey!", he said, stressing the one word.

"It's not that ... hey! I am NOT '_extremely nosey_.', as you so eloquently put it."

"Pffft Couldn't prove it by me!", he countered, "Besides, why can't I go?"

"Duh! Dog-ears?", she said, pointing to the top of her head with both index fingers.

"DUH! I can wear a cap now, can't I? I always have before! Why is this time any different?"

Kagome sighed heavily, "I give up. You win. You can come."

Inuyasha cockily folded his arms across his chest and stood up straight and tall, "Damn right I win. You need to remember who's in charge here, woman."

Kagome rolled her eyes and began to walk away, thinking,

'_Yea, dodo, it's me ... you know, the one with the subjugation command_?', but, she ignored his attitude and proceeded to allow him to consider himself king.

--

Kagome and Inuyasha retraced previous steps from a previous time to the alleyways that Hideki had led them through to his home. Rapping on the door, they waited. The door opened,

"May I help you?"

"Hideki.", Kagome said, with relief. She had been afraid he wouldn't be there.

"Do I ... know you?", the young man asked.

Kagome smiled, "No. You don't. And, you shouldn't. My name is Higurashi Kagome and ..."

The man opened the door further,

"THE Higurashi Kagome?"

"HUH?", Kagome looked at him strangely before turning her gaze over to Inuyasha, who just looked back at her and shrugged, "You know me?", she spoke, astonished.

"Professor Dumbledore of the British Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry spoke very highly of you. One of my own professors, Professor Takeda, was a close friend of Dumbledore's. That's how I heard of you.", he began shaking her hand, wildly, "I am SO happy to meet you! Dumbledore was right! He said you would visit us around this time. Wow! To think the famous time-traveling girl is standing right in front of me! I am so impressed.", he gushed.

Kagome blushed 10 shades of red at the commotion he was making,

"Oh. I am SO sorry. Won't you come in, please?", he offered.

Kagome smiled, grateful for the chance to get out of the alleyway, "Alright."

She and Inuyasha entered and Hideki began staring at Inuyasha. Inuyasha looked at him, annoyed,

"Got a problem?", he asked.

"Pardon me for staring, but ... you wouldn't happen to be Inuyasha, now, would you?", the young man gushed again.

Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other in disbelief. Kagome looked back at Hideki,

"Dumbledore mentioned Inuyasha?"

"Yes. Yes, he did. Are you REALLY a demon?"

"Uhh ... yea ... ", Inuyasha dragged out his response.

"Hmm. Except for the hair and eye color, you look human enough.", Hideki observed.

Inuyasha shook his head and proceeded to bare his teeth and claws. Hideki stared in disbelief. Kagome finished the show by lopping off Inuyasha's cap with a flourish,

"Dog ears.", Hideki cooed in awe.

Kagome replaced Inuyasha's cap, bringing Hideki back down to earth,

"I nearly forgot. Professor Takeda told me that if you did show up ... I was to take you straightaway to the Tokuyama School ..."

"Of Witchcraft and Wizardry.", Kagome finished.

"Exactly.", he spoke in awe of her knowledge, "And you're not even a witch!"

"Why am I to go there?", Kagome asked, her curiosity piqued.

Hideki shrugged, "I don't know. That's just what I was told. Do you want to go right now?"

Kagome looked back at Inuyasha and shrugged, "Sure. Why not?"

"Ok. Then follow me."

Hideki went over to a wall in the back of his tiny apartment. Inuyasha watched curiously as the young man removed a cabinet from in front of the wall, revealing a fireplace,

"HUH?", he spoke, almost imperceptively.

Hideki took a small urn down off a shelf,

"Floo powder.", Kagome realized.

"YES. YES. That's right. Wow. Dumbledore was right. You do know alot about our world."

Kagome shook her head, "I read the Harry Potter books.", she told him, trying to curb his adulation.

"But, still, you can time-travel. Even the strongest wizard hasn't mastered time-travel without a time turner."

"Well, just think of my portal as a different kind of time-turner.", she said, sweetly.

"Oh. Ok. Well, so you know how to use the Floo Powder?", Hideki asked.

"I've never used it. I only read about it.", she told him.

"Well, you take a small handful, step into the fireplace, state clearly where you want to go and then release the Floo Powder. It's easy, really."

"Uhhh ... and where do we want to go exactly?", asked Inuyasha.

"Just call out Tokuyama School and release it.", Hideki told him.

Inuyasha stared at him like one would look at a lunatic, but, Kagome reassured him,

"You can handle the well. This'll be a cake walk."

"I never said I was worried.", he looked at her.

She patted his arm, "Who do you think you're talking to, Inuyasha? You can't fool me."

"Shall we?", Hideki asked, holding out the urn.

Kagome reached in and pulled out a small clump. Standing in the fireplace, she held out her closed fist,

"Tokuyama School.", she stated clear and distinctly as she released the powder and disappeared.

"Inuyasha?", Hideki held the urn out to him.

Inuyasha reluctantly reached in and took some powder. Following Kagome's lead, he recited, "Tokuyama School" and released the powder as he disappeared.

When he landed he practically fell over. Catching himself, he stood up and walked out of the fireplace,

"That was weird.", he commented when he saw Kagome.

"It sure was.", agreed Kagome.

Hideki soon joined them,

"I see you made it here safely.", he said, relieved.

"This is the Japanese school of witchcraft?", Kagome asked no one in particular as she looked around the room where they were.

"Yes. Come with me. I'll introduce you to Professor Takeda. He is the headmaster of the school now."

Inuyasha and Kagome followed Hideki down a long hallway and then up a huge, regal staircase. Walking down another hallway, Hideki stopped in front of a large oak door,

"Pepper Steak.", Hideki called out.

Inuyasha stared at Kagome, "He's ordering food at a time like this?"

"SHHHHHHHHHHH!", Kagome hushed him.

The door slowly opened to reveal a set of marble, spiral steps,

"Follow me.", Hideki urged.

The pair followed their host as he led them up the stairs and into a huge room filled with windows overlooking the majestic Mt. Fuji. Kagome "Aaaahh'ed" at the sight.

Hideki called out, "Professor! Professor Takeda!"

An older man, short, with graying hair and wire-rimmed spectacles came through a side door,

"Hideki! What a pleasure to see you again. Tell me, who are your guests?"

Hideki started to gush like a fan girl all over again, "Professor, this young lady is none other than Higurashi Kagome and her husband Inuyasha!"

The Professor gazed at Kagome and Inuyasha for a long moment before removing his glasses and wiping them with a cloth before putting them away. He reached out his hand to greet them,

"The pleasure is all mine. Dumbledore told me amazing things about you. Please, come. Sit down."

Inuyasha and Kagome sat down with Hideki and the professor following suit. After a good twenty minutes of more fan girl gushing, Takeda stood up,

"I wish this could be on better terms.", he spoke, sadly.

"What do you mean, Professor?", Kagome asked.

Takeda turned to face them, "I know that Albus truly wanted to meet you. He really did. But, I'm afraid to say ..."

"He's dead.", Kagome spoke softly, finishing his words.

Takeda looked a bit taken aback, "You know this from the books, I take it."

She nodded, "Yes. What about Wetherby? The books never mentioned anything about him. Is he still alive?"

"Wetherby?", Takeda looked at her in shock, "JOHN Wetherby?"

"Yes.", Kagome looked at him curiously, "Why?"

"I am truly surprised you know of John Wetherby. Only the people closest to Albus knew of his lover John."

"Lover?", Kagome asked, quizzically.

"Yes. John Wetherby was Albus' true love. After his death in 1860, Albus never loved anyone else, I'm afraid. John's death destroyed Albus on the inside.", Takeda talked softly.

"You said, Wetherby died in 1860. How did he die exactly?", Kagome asked.

"Oh. He never told you how, did he? It was terrible. Truly terrible. It was because of Tennyson Malfoy. His family never was worthy of the title wizard, but, I digress. Malfoy used a stronger version of the Confringo explosive curse. Confringo Maxima. I shudder to think of it. Destroyed most of downtown London, I'm afraid. Poor John was killed when a building collapsed on top of him. Sad ending, really. Tragic."

Kagome swallowed hard and realized Inuyasha was looking at her. He hadn't been able to get through the portal and he knew nothing of what had occurred on the other side. She could tell by the look in his eyes that she would have some explaining to do when they got back to the shrine.

"Anyway,", Takeda spoke again, "Albus requested that I give this to you when you came to visit us."

He handed Kagome a medium sized, blue swirled, crystal ball,

"It's beautiful. What is it?", she asked.

"It's called a Pensive Ball. Very similar to the Pensive Bowl only this is designed to be portable. In case you want someone far away to see what you saw. I believe Albus left a message in there for you as well.", he told her.

"How ... do I use it?", she asked.

"It's simple. Just hold the ball to your forehead and close your eyes. The ball will do the rest."

"Thank you. Very much.", she stood up and bowed to the professor.

He bowed back. They chatted some more before Kagome and Inuyasha took their leave and returned to the regular muggle world and to the Higurashi Shrine.

--

_A/N: So much for my prediction. This ISN'T the last chapter. I still had too much story in my head. I thought I could finish it in one more chapter but, nope. Just to be safe, I'm not going to predict that Chapter 17 will be the end. It should be, but, I need to cover a bit more to set the stage for the third installment. Enjoy._


	17. A Final Farewell

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Seventeen

A Final Farewell

Inuyasha and Kagome walked up the stairs to the shrine,

"So. That went well.", Inuyasha commented sarcastically, changing the previous topic of discussion.

"Yea.", agreed Kagome, "If you like being treated like a manga character."

"Manga ... character? What the hell's that?", Inuyasha looked at her.

"Oh nothing. Nevermind.", Kagome waved him off.

"Speaking of nothing,", Inuyasha stopped at the top of the stars and crossed his arms, "Wanna fill me in on what happened on the other side of the portal?"

"That wouldn't be my first choice, no.", Kagome replied.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to make a smart assed remark, when the air became filled with shouts of "Mama! Daddy! You're back! Guess what?"

Inuyasha turned to face the three running pups, as Kagome sighed, "Saved by the kids. Thank goodness.", she sighed.

The kids began rapidly trying to tell their parents about all that they had seen on their trip out that day. Inuyasha hushed them up as they walked inside,

"Slow down. One at a time. Please!"

Kagome and Inuyasha sat on the couch. The pups stood around them, waiting impatiently to talk. Kagome's mom brought a tired and cranky Shiori to Kagome,

"She's absolutely exhausted but, she refuses to go to sleep.", her mother informed her.

Inuyasha took the little girl from Kagome and cuddled her, speaking softly to her,

"I forgot to tell you, mama. Shiori really tries to stay awake until Inuyasha is home. He has to hold her and talk to her for her to sleep. It was very rough in the beginning if Inuyasha had to leave home to battle a demon. As she's gotten older, she seems to know when daddy won't be able to hold her before bedtime and when he will. I guess this was one of those times that she knew he should be here."

"That's incredible.", her mother mentioned, as she watched the little girl nod off in Inuyasha's arms.

"MAAAAAA-MAAAA!", Shinta whined anxiously.

Kagome smiled at her son, "Ok. We're all ears. Tell us what you saw today."

The kids had difficulties awaiting their turns as they told their parents about trucks and cars and grocery stores and phones and planes and video game arcades and Souta's video games and trains and WacDonald's and all the people and ice cream - especially ice cream. That topic took nearly an hour to share. The kids were breathless by the end and Inuyasha was speechless. Kagome looked at her mother,

"I thought you were buying clothes?"

"Oh, we did. I also picked up some nice clothes for Inuyasha-kun to wear while he's here. I hope I picked the right size. He looks like your father's size, Kagome.", she spoke quickly.

"Uhh. Sure.", Kagome agreed.

"I'm sure you both are hungry. Let me go and start dinner.", her mother said, standing up and going into the kitchen.

Souta yelled in for the pups to come outside and they ran after him. Inuyasha picked up the sleeping Shiori and went upstairs to tuck her into bed. Kagome reached inside her bag and felt the crystal ball that Takeda had given to her. She really wanted to use it, but, decided now was not the time. She stood up and went into the kitchen to talk to her mother.

--

Kagome and her mother chatted as her mother cooked dinner. Mama looked up and gasped,

"Inuyasha-kun."

Kagome whirled her head around,

"What's up with you?", she asked, increduously, "You're totally soaked."

"Your brother introduced the pups to something called a Master Blaster.", he spoke through gritted teeth.

Kagome's mother covered her mouth with her hand and began to giggle. Kagome wasn't that discreet. She ended up in a full blown belly laugh at Inuyasha's drowned rat appearance. Her mother spoke,

"I'm sorry. I purchased them for the kids. I thought, since it's not electronic, it was something they could take back to your world to play with.", she explained.

It was Kagome's turn to look shell-shocked. Her mind raced with images she didn't care for,

'_Three young, mischievious demons, running around Feudal Age Japan, with giant water guns and freezing cold mountain stream water_.', she covered her eyes with her hands to try to block out what she imagined, '_The villagers are gonna love me_! _**NOT**_!'

--

After dinner, Kagome went outside, alone. Inuyasha went looking for her and found her underneath the go-shin-boku. She was staring at the tree trunk,

"Kagome?"

She turned toward him and smiled. The descending sun's rays glinted off her raven hair that fluttered in the breeze. He was sure he had never seen such a beautiful sight before in his life,

"Are ... you alright?", he asked her, softly.

"Yes. I'm alright.", she replied back, her voice barely above a whisper, "I'm ... just ... remembering."

He gazed into her eyes, losing his soul into their chocolate depths. For all his false machoism, his cocky bravado, his lack of tact, his naivete ... he could never be accused of not being able to read Kagome's soul when it truly mattered. He smiled warmly back at her, signaling to her his comprehension of what she was saying in those chocolate brown orbs. He came close, laying his hand on her arm, and kissed her gently on the forehead,

"I'll be inside should you need me.", he whispered to her.

Kagome's smile never faded as she watched him turn and return to the family home. She turned her attention back to the ancient tree. After gazing at "Inuyasha's spot" on the wood for a while, she took a deep breath and sat down on the bench. She pulled on the pretty, blue-swirled ball and stared at it, examining it carefully,

"Now is as good a time as ever.", she said to herself.

She placed the orb against her forehead and closed her eyes. She understood immediately why you needed to close your eyes as the world began to spin. As the spinning eased off, she opened her eyes. Gone was the go-shin-boku and the shrine altogether. Instead, she was in a regal looking room with many ancient items. Looking around, she realized from the items present that she was in Dumbledore's office. This was confirmed when Dumbledore entered and walked over to the Pensive Bowl. Holding his wand to his temple, he began to speak,

"_My dear, sweet Kagome. If you are seeing this Pensive Ball, then you know I am dead. I am very sorry I never had the chance to met you again in this modern era. I wanted you to know how impressed John and I were at your's, and Miroku's, astounding bravery._

_I felt you should see what occurred that dreadful April night that we defeated Tennyson Malfoy. After this message, you will be taken there._

_You are probably wondering ... why you remember the incident when others do not and you should not. It is simple. I used a memory charm on you before the portal was destroyed. It affects only you, fully, and then proceeds to branch out to the people closest to you who fought against Tennyson Malfoy yet, only extends enough to those able to time travel like you for they are the ones who need to remember. While you carry the memories of the horrors, you also carry within you the power to prevent another event like this from occurring again._

_Now that you have returned the world to how it should be, an owl will be arriving shortly bearing something for you. Use it well. _

_Dear Kagome, that is all I have to tell you. You made a profound impact on my life in our short time together. And, for that, I am forever grateful._

_My love to you,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_."

She watched Dumbledore pull his wand away from his temple and place the silvery strand into the bowl. Approaching the bowl, she peered inside, as she recalled Harry doing in the book. She felt herself being drawn inside the bowl.

As her vision cleared, she realized where she was. It was London, England in 1860 ... the night Nishimura/Malfoy was destroyed forever. She felt strange as people walked right through her, as she stood at the top of the alleyway. She looked down the alley and saw Miroku waiting and behind him ... was herself ... feet askance, right arm raised, hand extended. She saw the energy swirling around her hand.

Nishimura/Malfoy turned the corner and ran right into Miroku and Kagome.

"It's the end for you, Nishimura!", Miroku stated, smiling a wicked smile, "You're going where you belong!"

"YOU FOOL!", Nishimura/Malfoy screamed, "IT'S NOT OVER YET, MONK!"

Malfoy grabbed his wand and screamed out, "CONFRINGO MAXIMA!"

Nishimura/Malfoy grinned at them when he yelled those words. The ground began to shake violently all around them, knocking Miroku and Kagome off their feet. Screams were heard from the streets as buildings collapsed, horses reared and neighed in fear, loud explosions rang throughtout the town and people ran for their lives,

"AN EARTHQUAKE?", Miroku yelled.

"NO!", screamed Kagome, "A CURSE!"

Nishimura/Malfoy laughed as he began to float over the two. Miroku reached up and grabbed the man's pants and yanked him back down to earth,

"OH NO YOU DON'T!", Miroku screamed.

Nishimura/Malfoy tried to aim his wand at Miroku,

"AVADA ..."

Kagome managed to get on her knees with her arm raised and hand extended,

"NOOOOOO!", she screamed, as she sent off a burst of energy towards Nishimura/Malfoy.

The quaking earth knocked her off balance, sending the spell off kilter but, still managing to dislodge his wand,

"WENCH!", he screamed at her, his eyes bugged out wide.

Miroku took his chance and slugged Nishimura/Malfoy knocking him aside.

Kagome found herself nearly in tears. She watched as Dumbledore rounded the corner and the sky turned black. It was the dementors. Hordes of them began swooping down towards them She watched Miroku pass out. Dementers landed all around Nishimura/Malfoy and proceeded to apply the Dementor's Kiss. The man's screams of anguish chilled her as they did when it had occurred. She realized then that the Kagome in this image had already passed out.

She watched the portal image in the wall begin to shake and hiss ... almost as if alive. She began to wonder how she and Miroku had escaped, alive, when she saw it. A giant, black circle floated through the portal doorway,

"The Meidou!", she whispered to herself.

The Meidou began sucking in dementors and, eventually, Malfoy's lifeless body. As the chaos continued around Dumbledore, he seemed fascinated by the black hole that had appeared. She watched as Dumbledore raised his wand and saw his lips move softly. She witnessed her lifeless body glow with an unknown light,

"The memory charm, I presume?", she spoke, again to herself.

She stared at the Meidou, curiously, wondering why it didn't suck in her, Miroku or, even Dumbledore. She even found herself fascinated at the length of the curse and the destruction it caused. It was then she saw what she wished she didn't have to. The buildings on each side of the alleyway began to crumble. From some unseen place, Wetherby shot forward and proceeded to push, first Miroku's, and then her body through the portal, saving their lives but, losing his in the process. As the chaos subsided, and the Meidou disappeared, she cried uncontrollably as she watched Dumbledore start frantically searching through the debris, calling out John's name is horror.

The image began to fade from view and Kagome found herself back in modern era Japan, sitting beneath the go-shin-boku. She looked at the orb in her hand,

"Thank you, Wetherby, for saving us. And, Dumbledore, I feel saddened for you and your sacrifice. Thank you for everything. Goodbye, old friend."

She wiped away the tears from her eyes and cheeks as best she could. Returning the orb to her pocket, she stood up and gazed again at the tree before re-entering the house.

Inuyasha watched her quietly as she prepared the pups for bed. He sensed a sereneness about her but, also, extreme sadness. Even the pups seemed to realize that their mama was different at the moment and quietly complied with all her requests. His eyes followed her movements until she started taking the children upstairs to bed. Standing up to follow, he heard, for the first time, her family's soft murmers of curiousity about her behavior. As he walked up the stairs, his mind decided that her demeanor must have something to do with the orb she received at the magic school.

He waited on the bed in her bedroom. He inhaled deeply, smelling the sweet scents of both his wife and infant daughter. He closed his eyes just as Kagome entered with Shiori. He listened to her talk quietly with the baby. He had already said his goodnights to the child and Shiori gurgled for a bit then fell quiet. He could tell by her fragrance and breathing that she was fast asleep. He opened his eyes and watched Kagome undress. She came over to the bed, nude, and stared at him, a soft smile gracing her sweet features,

"Is that how you are going to bed, Inuyasha?", she spoke softly, but, her eyes had a lustful glint in them.

He looked down at his fire-rat outfit and back into her eyes,

"Help me?", he teasingly begged her.

She readily complied and, after taking off his last piece of clothing, she wrapped herself around him, kissing him deeply, fully, hungrily on the mouth. Breaking apart for air, she gazed deep into his golden orbs,

"Thank you. Inuyasha.", she whispered to him.

He looked taken aback, "Well, you're welcome. But, what are you thanking me for?"

"I just am.", she replied softly, as she proceeded to kiss him lustfully again.

Inuyasha leaned back on the bed, his arms, heart, and mind filled with his Kagome. That night's lovemaking played out like a quiet, religious epiphany. If he hadn't believed in something, anything, before, he surely believed now.

--

The next morning found Kagome sitting at the table with her grandfather and mother eating a large meal,

"I didn't realize I had slept so late.", she commented between bites, "I'll have to have a talk with Inuyasha about that."

"Now, dear. A mother is usually grateful when the father cares for the children and allows the mother to sleep in. I would think you would have enjoyed the extra rest. You must have needed it.", her mother scolded her, gently.

Kagome stopped eating and absorbed what her mother said, "You're absolutely right, mama. I guess it's my Feudal Era ethic. I usually have so many chores that sleeping in isn't an option."

"Doesn't that demon assist you with that? Or is he just lazy?", her grandfather chimed in.

Kagome got huffy, "No. Grandpa. His lazy butt is usually fighting a demon for payment, or hunting for food, or working the fields, or repairing the house. I'm sure he would be most interested in also cleaning the house, washing the clothes, making the meals, making new clothes for the children ..."

"I get the point.", Grandpa mumbled.

Kagome watched her mother's gaze revert to the doorway and her body begin quivering with giggles. Following her mother's gaze, she saw what made her laugh. Inuyasha stood in the doorway, growling, covered head to toe,

"MAMA? SILLY STRING?", she bit back her giggles.

"They ambushed me.", Inuyasha growled out through gritted teeth.

"I figured they would enjoy it. I know it really is a waste of money ... but, I enjoyed it so much as a child.", her mother smiled.

Still attempting to surpress the urge to giggle, Kagome asked,

"Why not buy them marbles or dominoes, or chinese checkers, or jump ropes or, for that matter, even a bicycle?"

Her mother simply smiled her motherly smile and began clearing the breakfast dishes. Kagome stood up and took Inuyasha by the hand,

"Let's get you cleaned up."

In the bathroom, as Kagome picked off strand after strand, she told Inuyasha something she had learned from the Pensive Ball,

"The wizard, Dumbledore, used a memory charm on me. That's why I remember the whole incident. And, since you are close to me and can use the well, plus you also fought against Nishimura, it has extended to you. It is so we can make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Great!", he groaned, "Do ya think I'll ever get to live a normal life where I ain't responsible for the well-being of the entire friggin' world?"

"Nope!", she replied, confidently, "All hopes of that ever happening disappeared when I awoke you from the spell.", she smiled, deviously.

"So, you're saying that you are to blame for all my misfortunes.", he teased back, with a perfectly straight face.

She glared at him, her fists on her hips, "WELL! Remind me never to come to your rescue again, you ungrateful dog!"

Inuyasha couldn't control his grin at her "anger." Kagome shook her head at him, as she smiled back and playfully slapped him.

They headed back downstairs and walked into the living room. A few, small, female grunts filled the room,

"Izayoi?", Kagome asked.

The little girl came out of another room. The reason for her grunts became clear,

"BUYO!", Kagome said, "I've been wondering where you've been hiding."

Inuyasha giggled at her attempts to carry the huge cat,

"Ugh ... bi..ig kitty.', Izayoi huffed out.

Inuyasha took the cat from her, "Buyo. I think you gained some weight.", he commented.

"I wanna kitty.", Izayoi announced.

"You have a kitty.", Inuyasha said to her.

"No, I don't", she replied back with a pout.

"Yea, ya do. Kirara.", he replied.

"Dat's Auntie Sango's kitty. Not mine."

"We don't need a kitty. There are plenty in the village for you to feed and care for.", Inuyasha stated with an air of finality in his statement.

Izayoi crossed her arms and pouted. Inuyasha ignored her attempts at sympathy. Kagome wondered just how long his resolve would hold out, knowing that the girls had him wrapped so tightly around their little fingers he couldn't breathe. She almost made a comment when Shinta walked in,

"Mama? Dad?"

"Yes, Shinta? What is it?", Kagome responded.

"Uhhm ... can you come outside. You gotta see this."

Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged curious glances before following the boy outside,

"Where's Souta?", Kagome asked him.

"He said he was going to see his girlfriend.", Shinta told them in his small voice, "It's just me and Kai outside."

He led them to a tree at the edge of the shrine. Kai was staring up into the branches. Shinta pointed to a branch. Inuyasha squinted to see,

"Yea. So. It's an owl. Big deal. We have owls in our world.", he told the boys.

"But ... its got a letter.", Kai informed him.

Kagome had been staring in disbelief at the owl from the moment she saw it. Dumbledore had mentioned she would be receiving an owl soon. But, it still surprised her,

"It's for me.", she told them.

"You?", Inuyasha asked, increduously.

The owl flew down and landed on the grass in front of her. She reached down and removed the envelope. The owl seemed to bow to her before it flew away,

"I've seen alot of strange things in my world, but, this one has all of them beat.", Inuyasha commented, in awe.

"It's from Gringott's Bank.", she mumbled softly.

Inuyasha stared at her, "From where?"

"When Miroku and I went through the portal, we had no money to eat, because Japanese Feudal coins couldn't be used in 19th Century England. But, I found a shop that dealt in antiquities and, well, what was new to us was old to them. I sold the shopkeeper what I had for 1000 pounds sterling - British money. After we ate, we realized just how much money we really had. Well, to shorten the story, when we visited Hogwarts, Dumbledore and I spoke briefly about money. I mentioned the British money I had and offered to donate it to the school since I wouldn't need it once I returned through the portal. He said he would take it to Gringott's - the wizarding world's bank. I thought he intended to use it for the school, but ..."

"That's money from the bank, then?"

"Yes.", she said, opening it. She pulled out a letter and proceeded to read,

"Dear Miss Higurashi,

We thank you for investing your British pounds into our bank. As per the request of Mr. Albus Dumbledore, we have sold your investments and liquidated your money as soon as we received an owl announcing that you had returned. Enclosed you will find a check converted from Galleons to Japanese Yen. The current exchange rate was very favorable to this conversion. Again, thank you for being a loyal Gringott's customer and we look forward to servicing your needs in the future.

Sincerely,

Mr. Henbeddestyr Aphowell

Senior Investment Consultant

Gringott's Bank of England.

Kagome pulled out the check and looked at it. Her eyes grew as wide as saucers and she gasped. Her mouth moved, but nothing came out,

"Kagome? What's wrong?", asked Inuyasha, concerned.

She gulped hard, "I ... I ...OH MY GOODNESS!"

Inuyasha took the check and looked at it,

"7,909,500,000 yen.", he read the numbers off, "Big number. Is that alot of money?"

She nodded, her eyes still wide. The boys just stared at her. Suddenly, Kagome grabbed the check and ran into the house, Inuyasha and the boys on her heels,

"MAMA! GRANDPA!", she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Calm down, girl.", her grandfather scolded, "What has you so worked up?"

"Kagome?", her mother queried, entering the room.

Kagome was out of breath as she held up the check,

"WE'RE RICH!"

Grandpa and mama just stared at her like she was a lunatic, "WHAT?", they chorused together.

She waved the check, "LOOK AT THIS!"

Her mother took the check and both she and grandpa looked at it. Both were speechless,

"This must be fake.", her grandfather stated.

"Kagome, how would come across this kind of money?", her mother asked her.

"It's a long story.", she gasped out.

"Well, we have plenty of time.", her grandfather admonished her.

Kagome, realizing she could not get out of explaining, gave a slightly different account of the story. She told them about Nishimura, the time portal, 1860's England, and selling the Japanese coins. She left out anything related to the wizarding world or the time shift. She finished with saying that someone she had met in England decided to invest it for her,

"And this is the proceeds.", she finished.

Her mom continued to stare at the check,

"Hmmm. This says all taxes were taken out. I think I'll take this down to the bank and see if it's real.", she decided.

"Mama?", Kagome looked at her.

"It's not that I don't believe you, Kagome. But, do you realize just how much money that is? We just should make sure it's not a fraud.", she took the check from grandpa and folded it into her purse, "I'll return soon.", she said, walking out the door.

Grandpa continued to stare at his granddaughter,

"What is it grandpa?", she asked.

He cleared his throat, "Kagome. Could you, please, do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Please go up to my bedroom. I need something and my old bones just don't work like they used to."

"Where is it, grandpa?"

"It's on the dresser beside the statue of Buddha."

"Ok. What is it I'm looking for?"

"Oh. I think you'll know when you see it.", he answered her.

Kagome's mind registered confusion, but, she chalked it up to his age. She walked upstairs and into her grandfather's bedroom. Walking to the dresser, she scanned the top. Laying beside a small statuette of Buddha was a piece of cloth. She picked it up,

"A hair band.", she mused.

At first, she thought nothing of it until her demon senses picked it up. She lifted the hair band to her nose and sniffed deeply,

"HUH?", she began to question her nose.

Inuyasha walked in,

"What's taking you so long, Kagome?"

"Inuyasha ... look at this ...", she showed him the cloth.

He shrugged, "Yea. So what? A hair band."

"Sniff it."

Inuyasha looked at her curiously before doing as she asked. He sniffed once and backed off, staring at the piece of cloth like it was a rattlesnake about to attack. Unsure if he had smelled it correctly, he sniffed again,

"There's no mistaking her scent.", he spoke, softly.

They heard a throat-clearing cough and turned around,

"Grandpa?", Kagome looked at him with an unreadable look on her face.

Grandpa walked into the room and took the hair band from Kagome's hands,

"I keep this to remember her by, since I know I can never see her again.", he said, sadly.

"You ... remember?", Kagome whispered.

"Feudal Japan? The insane asylum? Yup, every bit of it. I was thrilled when I woke up and found myself back in the world I knew so well. But, I still miss her.", his eyes watered.

"You ... fell for her?", Inuyasha found himself disbelieving what he was saying.

"Yes. I found her quite refreshing, actually. Even though I knew nothing could ever come of it.", he gripped the hair band tighter, "When you return to the past, even though I know she won't remember me, please just tell Kaede that ... oh, I don't know."

He laid the band down on the dresser and walked out. Kagome watched him leave before looking at Inuyasha. She was surprised to see his face in a scowl,

"Inuyasha?"

"Oh, please, tell me he did not just say he was in love with old Kaede!"

"Why?", she said, half laughing.

He shuddered, "They're OLD ... old people don't do that ..."

Kagome giggled, "Do what? Fall in love? Yes, they do, Inuyasha. And, alot of times, it's the sweetest thing. And, you know what?" They even have sex, too."

Inuyasha stared at her, his face full of fear and disgust, "Oh. You did not just tell me that. OLD people? Doing THAT to each other? EW EW EW EW EW EW EW.", he shook his head and wagged his tongue like he was trying to get rid of a bad taste in his mouth.

Kagome snickered at his reaction, "Gee. I'll remember that when YOU get old!"

"Pffft! That ain't happenin' I ain't gettin' old. I'm immortal, remember?"

"No, you're not, tough guy!"

--

Kagome's mother returned home and excitedly told everybody the check was real. Souta heard the news for the first time and nearly fainted,

"The bank did have a slight difficulty in contacting the issuing bank of the check, though, but, they finally did.", her mother informed them.

Souta looked confused, "Who was the issuing bank?"

"Hm? Oh, some bank in England ... Gringo's, Grindott's, Gringott's ... I don't remember the name. I just know I have never heard of it before."

Kagome stayed quiet as she observed the wheels turning in her brother's head, "That name sounds familiar. I wonder why?", he mused to himself.

Kagome gulped her food down and said, "I dunno. I've never heard of it. Must be a new bank."

The subject was soon changed by Izayoi, who repeated her "I wanna get a kitty.", plea. Inuyasha continued to say no. The boys looked at her and then at each other. Then it started,

"We want a puppy!", they chorused.

"WHAT?", shouted Inuyasha.

"We want a PUPPY!", the boys emphasized.

"I want a kitty!", Izayoi pouted.

"Why won't you let them have a pet, Inu -nii -chan?", Souta asked.

"There are plenty of dogs and cats in the village. Let them care for one of those.", he complained.

"But, it's not the same, Inuyasha-kun.", grandmother stood up for them, "I think all children should own a pet and boys and dogs go together."

Kagome choked a bit on the irony of her mother's comment, "Uhh, mama? The boys ARE dogs."

"A dog owning a dog. I'd like to see that.", said Souta.

"Well, you never will.", insisted Inuyasha.

--

The next couple days found Kagome's mom spoiling the pups more than ever. Souta seemed more than happy to teach the pups various ways to annoy Inuyasha. If it wasn't trying to mold Play-Doh over Inuyasha's sleeping face, it was attacking him with Nerf guns while hiding amongst the trees when he walked outside. Inuyasha was getting ready to Meidou Zangetsuha Souta to hell,

"Shippou is easier to deal with than your bratty little brother.", he complained to Kagome one night.

"That's only because you feel that you can whack Shippou a hundred times on the head with no retribution and, you know, that if you did that to my little brother, I'd dig a hole to the United States with your face and those beads!", she stated emphatically.

She received no response. She realized he was pretending to be asleep,

'_Smart move, brainiac_!', she congratulated him in her mind.

--

_A/N: This chapter ended up LOOOOOONG! So, I split it up. I found what seemed like the best place to stop. Final Chapter, Chapter 18, is up for your reading pleasure. Oh, and 7,909,500,000 yen converts to about 75 million dollars. Yea, they're rich! Cya!_


	18. A Son's Gift

**Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Eighteen

A Son's Gift

Kagome and Inuyasha returned from the supermarket, loaded to the hilt with food to take back to the Feudal Era. Inuyasha managed to slide open the door and walk inside the house and ...

**CRASH!**

Kagome quickly put down her bags. There she saw, Inuyasha, sprawled flat, groceries everywhere. Beneath him sat a mess load of toys. Enough, Kagome assumed, to fill a good sized toy store. Looking back at Inuyasha again, she found herself laughing. He was on his stomach, a football helmet on his head and a football cradled in his arms,

"You look like you just scored a touchdown!", she giggled at him.

Not understanding her comment, Inuyasha threw down the ball and removed the helmet,

"What is all this shit?"

"Toys?", Kagome offered.

His annoyed look told her to stay quiet. Her mother rushed in,

"Oh my. Inuyasha-kun, are you ok? I heard the crash ..."

"He's fine, mama. What is all this stuff?", Kagome queried the older woman.

She clapped her hands together like a school girl, "Oh, I went on a shopping spree. It's so much fun being able to do something like that."

"Did you need to buy all these toys for the children?", she asked, increduously.

"They're my grandchildren. It's my job to spoil them! Now, let's get to work and pick up all the groceries. I sure hope you didn't have any eggs in there!"

--

The next afternoon, Kagome walked in from the storehouse when she realized her mother had returned from yet another shopping trip with the children. As she entered the door, she heard a small "yip-yip" sound from the kitchen. Closing the sliding door, she called, "Kids?"

The three of them ran out to greet her,

"Mama. Mama. Guess what grandma got us?", they chorused.

In shock, Kagome watched as a small, black puppy ran in from the kitchen,

"OH NO!", she groaned, "Mama. You didn't!"

"Hmp. I disagree with Inuyasha. I think they deserve a puppy.", she announced.

Kagome sank to the floor, dreading the moment when Inuyasha came back in from helping out grandpa. Sure enough, a few moments later, the door slid open and a chorus of "DADDY!" was heard followed by a couple of "YIP-YIP-YIP's".

Inuyasha's eyes stared at the animal before he looked at first to mama and then to Kagome. Pointing to the creature, he raised his voice,

"WHAT IS THIS?"

Unable to resist, Kagome looked at him straight in the eye and said, "What, don't you recognize a member of your own species?"

She should have known to resist that urge at sarcasm as Inuyasha promptly began blowing his top. The pups ran behind their grandmother, who quickly returned order by chastizing her demon son-in-law. Inuyasha shut up, but was still fuming.

"Grandma says we can take him back with us.", Kai spoke slowly, looking at his mother.

Inuyasha had had enough. He looked at Kagome,

"Fine. I can see my decisions don't matter any more. I don't give a good goddamn what you do. Just start getting things packed. We're returning tomorrow."

He turned and walked out. Kagome, her mother and the pups stared at him solemnly as he left,

"I'm sorry, Kagome. Maybe I have overstepped my bounds.", her mother said, sitting down and putting her arm around her daughter's shoulder.

"I understand why you did, mom. Don't apologize. It's not your fault. Actually, this argument has been a long time coming. He's been irritating me by strutting his peacock attitude more times than I can count and I've just let it ride. Maybe this is what we needed to make some inroads into what bugs each of us about the other."

Kagome got up and walked outside. She knew where to find him. Standing under the sacred tree, she looked up,

"Inuyasha."

No response. She sighed,

"Inuyasha!", she said, with more emphasis.

She heard a loud, "PFFFFFFT!"

She gritted her teeth,

"O - SU - WAR..."

"You come up here. You can jump."

Shaking her head, Kagome leapt into the tree. She made herself comfortable on branch across from him,

"Inuyasha."

Nothing.

"We need to talk."

Still nothing.

This went on for, what seemed to Kagome, a very long time. Finally, she crossed her arms across her chest and said,

"You know, you REALLY need to grow up and act like a man and not a little boy!"

This achieved the desired reaction. Inuyasha turned and glared at her in disbelief,

"Grow up? GROW UP? BE A MAN? YOU AND YOUR MOTHER ARE THE ONES WHO ..."

"HA. Got ya talking to me.", Kagome gloated in victory.

Inuyasha just shook his head, "Whatever"

"Not whatever. We need to talk, Inuyasha."

"About what, pray tell?"

"About why you keep prancing around like a friggin' peacock in mating season, is what!", she said, exasperated.

"What? I do not!"

"Inuyasha. I'm used to your bravado and all, but, lately you just seem so ... well ... full of yourself."

Inuyasha looked into her eyes and then turned away. Kagome's natural perception skills told her all she needed to know. She made the decision, again, to leave well enough alone. She knew he would eventually seek out her comfort and support. She moved and snuggled up to him and said nothing.

He closed his eyes. He knew the gesture. Kagome's way of telling him she understood and that, when he was ready to talk, she would be there for him. He gratefully placed his hand over hers,

'_Thank you, Kagome_.', he thought.

--

The next day, Kagome, Inuyasha and the pups prepared to return to their world. Overpacked with food, toys and supplies, Inuyasha needed to make numerous trips back and forth to carry everything through. It was finally just him, Kagome, Shiori, Izayoi, Kai, Shinta and ...

"YIP-YIP!"

The black puppy squirmed in Shinta's arms. Inuyasha and his son stared at each other, Shinta's eyes pleading for his father to give in. Inuyasha blinked once. Twice. Shinta's eyes never wavered. The pleading eyes tore into his very soul. Why was he denying his children such a simple thing? Other village children had pets. He had grown up with nothing, save for what was necessary. Was having a pet, even one he was descended from, so bad? He took a deep breath and asked softly,

"What didja name him?"

Shinta's grin went from ear to ear and Kai began whooping in happiness,

"His name is Ronin.", Shinta happily told him.

Inuyasha smiled, "Samurai with no master. Hmm. Fitting, I guess. How do you think he'll handle time travel?"

Shinta shook his head, "I dunno."

"Better hold onto him tight then. A puppy free falling through a portal wouldn't be a keen idea, in my book."

Shinta climbed up on his dad, still holding the puppy, "Thanks, dad. You're the best.", he said, hugging Inuyasha, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Shinta.", Inuyasha whispered back.

Setting Shinta on the ground, Inuyasha felt his hitoe being tugged. He looked down and saw a very sad eyed Izayoi gazing up at him,

"If dey get a puppy ..."

He knelt down to his daughter's level, "We'll find a kitten for you when we get back."

"PWOMISE?"

He pulled his daughter into a tight embrace, "Cross my heart, sweetie."

Kagome smiled at the scene that had unfolded in front of her and tears filled her eyes. She knew Inuyasha had more demons of his own to deal with but, she could tell he had taken a big leap today. They proceeded to say goodbye as they got ready to leave,

"Kagome.", her mother said to her, "I want to see my grandchildren more. Don't be a stranger!"

Kagome smiled and hugged her mother, "We won't. That's a promise."

The family jumped into the well and disappeared.

--

The family's homecoming was overwhelming, to say the least. Village children (and some adults), marveled over the pups' fancy toys and Sango prepared a huge feast for them all.

After settling back in, Sango and Miroku told their friends about the break-up of Kohaku and Rin. Kagome was quite saddened by the news while Inuyasha nearly blew a gasket when he heard Rin had returned to Sesshoumaru.

He decided to set out one day to find his meddling older brother and give him an earful. It didn't take long for Inuyasha to find him,

"Looking for me, little brother?", Sesshoumaru said, in a taunting voice, as he landed near Inuyasha.

"Yea, I'm looking for you, dammit! What the hell business do you have taking Rin away from Kohaku?", Inuyasha demanded.

Sesshoumaru never even blinked, "Rin left on her own accord. I did not ask her to."

"Like I believe that!", Inuyasha sputtered.

"I do not care if you believe me or not. Your opinion is not my concern."

"Think of her life, dammit! She's old enough to marry. She should marry and be happy. Why should she follow you around like a fucking nomad? Think about it! It's not as if YOU would marry her!"

Sesshoumaru had started to turn to leave but, stopped and turned his head to look at Inuyasha,

"You know nothing about me, Inuyasha! Keep your nose out of my business!"

"I know you too well, Sesshoumaru! You wouldn't marry Rin. You're not capable of loving anyone, especially a human girl. Knowing how much you despise me because of my so-called dirty blood, there is no way you could marry a human and create half-demon pups!"

Sesshoumaru turned to leave,

"I'M TALKING TO YOU, DAMMIT!"

"I am done talking with you."

"OH NO YOU DON'T!", Inuyasha jumped over his brother and landed in front of him. Sesshoumaru stopped, irritated by Inuyasha's tirade,

"Don't you have a mate to go to? Be grateful that you didn't lose her to that vermin, Nishimura!"

Inuyasha stopped, his mouth gaping open,

"You ... you remember Nishimura?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"But ... but how?"

"HMPH! You remember him. Why is it so strange that I do as well?"

Inuyasha continued to stare at his brother as Sesshoumaru, tired of the hassles, transformed into a pink ball of light and floated away. Inuyasha was too dumbfounded to move.

--

That night, Inuyasha told Kagome that Sesshoumaru also remembered Nishimura,

"I don't understand. You said that the wizard said only those close to you, who fought Nishimura and could time travel would remember. It was a charm on you so, of course, you remember. We're married and I can time travel and I fought Nishimura. That explains me. Your grandfather time traveled, is close to you, and, in his own way, fought Nishimura. But, Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome thought deeply about this,

"Sesshoumaru IS your brother."

"Yea. So?"

"And you DO care about him."

"Like hell I do!"

"Don't kid yourself."

Inuyasha started to speak but, thought better of it. Instead, he pouted.

"And, because he is your brother and travels with Rin, whom I care about, I do care about Sesshoumaru."

"Fine. But, he still can't time travel!"

"How do you know?"

"Huh? We-llll ..."

"We didn't know my jii-chan could time travel either, did we?"

Inuyasha looked dejected, "You think ... Sesshoumaru can ..."

Kagome shrugged, "We've never tried to find out. And, Dumbledore did state that was a requirement and, well, he DOES remember ..."

"HMPH! Keep him away from the well. Your world isn't ready for the likes of him!"

"Goodnight, Inuyasha."

--

A couple weeks went by and life returned to a relatively normal state in the village. Shiori had started walking shortly after returning from the modern age and was now running full tilt. Kagome found herself with her hands very full with her family, her chores, her "deity" duties, and life in general.

Except for a gift she brought back for Miroku, the incident of Nishimura pretty much faded from Kagome's and Inuyasha's minds. Kagome had gifted Miroku with the entire 7 volume set of the Harry Potter series. When he questioned her about it, she simply smiled and remarked,

"It's one of my favorite reads. Full of fantasy, magic, witchcraft and good versus evil."

"Thank you, Kagome. It sounds very interesting."

Kagome pulled a bag out of her closet one night and realized it was full,

"Oh. I never emptied this from when we returned from my era.", she realized.

She emptied the bag and her fingers touched an object on a chain. Picking it up, she stared at it,

"The time turner. It never returned to Dumbledore."

Then she remembered something else. Digging deeper in the bag, she located it. A folded parchment scroll and a folded piece of paper. She opened them up,

"Good. Nothing happened to them."

She held the time turner to her chest. She didn't know why it hadn't returned but, she was thankful at the moment that it was still here. She quickly stuffed it in a section of her kimono with the pieces of papers and headed outside,

"Sango. SANGO!", she called.

Sango came up to her, "What do you need, Kagome?"

"Could you watch the pups for a while, Sango? I ... want to take Inuyasha somewhere."

"With all the time my kids spend at your place? Of course I'll watch them for you."

Kagome smiled and thanked her before looking for Inuyasha. She found him at the stream catching fish. She waded out to him and took his hand,

"What's up?", he asked.

"Take me somewhere, Inuyasha."

"Now?"

"We won't be too long. Please?"

"What about the pups?"

"Sango's watching them."

"Where to?"

"The village."

"The village? Which village?"

"Your village. The one where you were born."

"Why?", he asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"Because, I want to give you something."

"Why can't you give it to me here?"

"Very simply ... I can't. It must be there. Please, Inuyasha."

He relented and let her climb on his back. He raced through the woods, arriving at the dilapidated town soon after. He placed her on the ground and started walking around, looking, remembering.

Kagome sensed what she knew was in his mind. Pulling out the papers and time turner, she entered the information. Inuyasha felt dizzy as his world began to spin,

"What the?", he wondered.

Then, in front of him, he saw nothing short of a miracle. The town was now bustling with Heiian period dress. Kagome walked up beside him and studied his reaction. She saw a teardrop in his eye,

"Mother.", he whispered.

She followed his gaze. Off to the side, was a rundown, old house. Sitting on the porch, preparing some food, was a beautiful woman. Kagome recognized her instantly. She followed Inuyasha' s gaze as he searched the grounds. He found what he was looking for. A small, white haired, dog-eared child played alone by the trees. Kagome felt his loneliness tear at her heart. Inuyasha gulped,

"This is just before my mother died.", he said, softly, tears falling down his face, "Why, Kagome? Why bring up this memory? How did you do it?"

"It's not a memory, Inuyasha. You are really here. The people can see you, touch you."

Inuyasha stared at her in disbelief and shook his head, "But ..."

She nodded towards his mother, sitting alone on the porch. He gulped again. He couldn't help but wonder how Kagome could know his regret. Slowly, he made his way toward the woman. As he approached, she looked up. He stopped,

"Hello. Can I help you?", she asked.

Inuyasha felt more tears sting his eyes. He had always believed his mother had the most melodic voice,

"You're very sad.", he spoke softly, not sure exactly what to say.

The woman stared at him a bit before lowering her head, "You are very perceptive, young man.", she looked back up, "Do I know you? You look very familiar."

Inuyasha came closer but, didn't answer, "You're worried about your son, aren't you?"

The woman swallowed hard and a tear fell down her face, "How do you know this?"

He knelt in front of her and the tears streamed down her face, "I don't know how you know but, yes, I am. I am quite ill and will die very soon. My boy is a half-demon. His father is also dead. He'll have no one left in the world to watch out for him but, many who will want to kill him. I love my boy. I feel that it is my fault that his life will be so painful. You ... you look so much like him ... only older. Tell me, are you related to the Great Inu no Taisho?"

Inuyasha nodded as he wiped the tears from his own face. He looked deep into his mother's eyes,

"Mother."

"What ... did you say?"

"It's me, mother. Inuyasha. I'm all grown up now. I found a way to come back to this time just to tell you that I am ok. You died so fearful for my future. It wasn't a pretty future but, I learned to survive. And ... and, I know you may not believe this ... but, I'm married!"

His mother's tears poured down her face as she covered her mouth to keep from screaming,

"Is it really you, my son?", she stood up to hug him.

He hugged her back, fiercely, not wanting to release her,

"Mother.", he pulled away, "Come with me."

"Where to?"

"Just follow."

His mother followed him, her hand in his. He stopped in front of Kagome,

"Mother. This is Kagome. My wife."

His mother gasped, "You ...you married my son? A half-demon?"

"No, my lady. I didn't marry a half-demon. I married Inuyasha. The person. The man. Not his heritage.", Kagome said to her.

His mother hugged Kagome gratefully, "My dear girl. You are indeed a truly special gift. A jewel from the gods. And so remarkably beautiful. I will be able to die peacefully now, knowing my son will not be alone forever."

"You also have 4 grandchildren, my lady.", Kagome told her.

"You ... have children?", she looked between the two, disbelieving.

"Four. 2 boys and 2 girls. And, the one girl is name Izayoi.", Kagome explained, as the woman began hugging Inuyasha and crying all over again.

"My boy. My boy. My precious son. Thank you for finding a way back to me. I can rest in peace now, knowing that you do survive and get a family of your very own."

Inuyasha hugged her tightly, his tears again falling freely down his cheeks, "I love you. Mother. I'm sorry. But, I have to go now."

His mother released her hold on Inuyasha and backed away, "Goodbye, my son. Thank you. I love you more than you will ever know."

His eyes never left hers, "I know, mother. I know."

Kagome took Inuyasha's hand and they walked outside of the town. Kagome entered the information into the time turner. As the world returned to normal, the time turner vanished. Kagome smiled,

"Thank you, old friend.", she whispered.

Inuyasha stood, staring at the old town,

"Inuyasha?"

He turned, his face streaked with tears. He pulled her into an embrace,

"My mother's right. You are a precious jewel. Thank you, Kagome, for giving me a home, a family and the very best gift of all. The chance to tell my mother not to worry about me. I always blamed myself for her unhappiness. Now I know. I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders."

"You're welcome, Inuyasha."

--

_A/N: I really liked this story. But, it's not over yet. Stay tuned for the next installment of the "Who's That Girl" universe - "My Fair Hanyou". Kagome is honored in the Modern Age and Harry Potter invites Kagome and her family to Hogwarts. What will ensue when Kagome insists Inuyasha needs to become a bit more civilized? How will she introduce Inuyasha and her kids to the wonders of modern travel? Why is Shinta rebelling against Inuyasha? Can Sesshoumaru woo Rin? And, what happens when Sango and Miroku are violently torn apart? It's all coming soon to a computer screen near you! Stay tuned!_


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